1001 Movies to See Before you Die: Deep End (1970)

thanks to this new torrent site, i am able to find all sorts of great pieces of cinematic awesomeness.
Deep end is one of those great films that came out in the late sixties/early seventies right when experimentation and subversiveness was at its prime. It is in the book, 1001 Movies to See Before you Die, which is of course my cinematic bible, and i plan on watching all of these.

this British film depicts the life of a Spa (or Bath in Britain) attendant named Mike. A sexually frustrated 15 year old, he ultimately pens down his boss, Susan, as his obscure object of desire. His sexual frustration is epitomized in his akward stance and his interactions among the old women at the Spa. These women continually seduce and molest him, lending to many bizarre sequences. Susan, inevitably, is the only sane and young woman in his life. After Mike's mom and dad come to visit and Susan refuses to serve his mother, she quickly becomes his new surrogate mother. When Mike learns that Susan is engaged, he begins a voyeuristic conquest. He first finds her at an X-rated theater, where he is caught and arrested for feeling her up. Susan ends up dropping the charges, revealing that she, too, wants to play Mike's demented game. He finds that Susan, in addition to being a spa attendant, is also a porn star. His voyeurism turns to sadism as he picks up a full-size cardboard nude pop-up of susan and starts carrying it around everywhere. He finds Susan on a train and begins to taunt her with it, leading up to a violent incident. In one of the most unsettling scenes in the film, Mike takes the pop-up to the pool and begins to use it as a sex doll. Mike's sadism returns again when he pops her car tires with a glass. In the final sequence, Mike knocks off Susan's engagement ring in the snow. When he finally finds the diamond after melting all the snow in the pool, he threatens to swallow it for losing his virginity with Susan.

The ending I won't spoil for you. This is a great film that delves into the pyschology of scopophilia (sexual satisfaction from nude images or basic images). Mike voyeurism quickly turns into sadism and culminates at the end (there's a hint). We as specators also suffer from Mike's condition. We see all of these wonderfully escapist films and hope that one day we can live within that fairy tale. Pornography, additionally, brings us into a world of perfected sexuality. It seems easy to see why so many people become addicted to these mediums. It is entertainment through Voyeurism.

Note: this movie is not available anywhere in the United States, better luck torrenting it.