The Night Porter: Intringuing or Disturbing?

Picture this: It’s the 80s, I’m sitting in a rather cramped cinema in Stockholm, with popcorn stuck somewhere between my seat and neighbour’s leg. Mario Bellocchio’s *The Night Porter* was about to start. Little did I know, this film would leave me both captivated and uneasy—like a surströmming can just waiting to explode.

The Night Porter, directed by Liliana Cavani, once controversial, still stirs up quite the conversation. It’s set in 1957 Vienna, a city trying to forget its traumatic past, much like I’ve tried to erase my fashion choices from the ’90s. The story traces a complicated relationship between a former SS officer, Max, played by Dirk Bogarde, and his ex-concentration camp prisoner, Lucia, played by the striking Charlotte Rampling. Now, I don’t want to give away too much, but their bond, rekindled after a fateful meeting in a hotel lobby, is twisted yet mesmerizing.

There’s an eerie juxtaposition in Cavani’s work that nails the darkness of obsession. And Bogarde? Undeniably chilling. I’ll admit, his performance still haunts me more than Sweden’s vote in Eurovision 1974. The visuals are stark, the 70s aesthetics lending a gritty, grounded feel that’s hard to shake off—like a stubborn smudge of Kalles Kaviar.

But hey, let’s be real, folks; this is not a film for the faint-hearted. Some scenes had me covering my eyes, peeking through fingers like a teenager at his first horror flick. It’s controversial for a reason, wrestling with taboo themes of trauma and power that, åh ja, are as relevant today as they were back then. Sometimes, I wonder if Cavani deliberately wants us to confront the uncomfortable margins of morality.

If you’re into films that make you ponder and squirm in equal measure, give it a whirl. Maybe even follow up with a long fika to digest it all. Or, you know, just watch Pippi Longstocking for a palate cleanser. That works too.

Check the trailer below