White of the Eye

The phrase „unjustly overlooked“ is used so frequently that it has almost lost its meaning, but if there is a film that embodies this meaning, it has to be White of the Eye, Donald Cammell‘s original take on the serial killer picture. Taking place in an isolated desert community in Arizona, the story focuses on a series of brutal murders of local housewives who were attacked and mutilated in their homes. What really distinguishes it from the average run of the mill genre fare is the stunning direction, that gives the film such incredible and dazzling style that one almost becomes hypnotized at times. Cammell was a rare talent. Director of only four feature films, including his iconic mind and identity-bending 1970 debut Performance (co-directed with Nicolas Roeg), Cammell’s quartet of features were all labours of love, the filmmaker undergoing significant set backs on each project up until his suicide in 1996. Criminally underseen and underrated White of the Eye is a completely unique, engulfing and haunting cinema. For those who are seeking a „lost“ classic, this film is a true lost classic, best seen on the big screen.