Xpiation (2017)


REVIEWER RATING: 
8/10

DIRECTOR:

CAST:


Expiation: the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; atonement.

Once a Cristopharo film is presented to me, I am immediately intrigued and gung-ho to watch. Xpiation is nothing short of another cerebral mind-fuck, saturated with explicit gore and graphic imagery. In other words, I adored this flick.

In stylish foreign manner, an aristocratic woman is lounging in an antique chair with her hand on a small camcorder, recording an excruciatingly painful torture session. And she is enjoying every second of her self-made show. All the while, her slightly creepy boy-toy (Simone Tolu) performs incredible acts of torment, for a reward - a bottomless supply of drugs to keep him high throughout the entire film. Hallucinations follow, guilt sets in, but neither deter the overwhelming joy he feels by pleasing his master.

Beginning with agonizing flesh-sanding from a crude steel wool pad, this massively tattooed victim (Emanuele Delia) succumbs to unimaginable suffering. There are knives, a hot iron and a hammer used as tools of trade to this poor boy who is cruelly duct taped to a chair, ball-gagged and left naked at the hands of a drug-induced tormentor. It’s tough to watch, especially when this Euro-trash lady begins to get off on his agony.

We are soon tossed into flashbacks from this woman’s upbringing and become witness to evil parenting, molestation and ultimate brutality that lured her to present time which turned her into this monstrous demon who is relishing in the affliction she is causing. Why the depravity? Why him?

Utilizing a low-budget set (graffiti-riddled abandoned building) and unnamed characters, Cristopharo has captured a vengeful nightmare that is soon relatable. The bond between “The Lady” and “The Addicted” is bizarre and dependent. The unsympathetic means of slicing and burning flesh is cringeworthy and yet, I dare you to look away. Mostly for the fear of missing out answers to the all-consuming question: Why is this happening? Hang on to your seat…you’re about to find out.

OVERALL: 
Torture porn without meaning is pure crap in my opinion. Pushing the envelope to perform gruesome acts just to provoke a reaction is schlock at best. This is not the case with Xpiation and once your compassion for “The Boy” is locked in, Cristopharo smashes that perception. And hard. Thus is the shock you will experience and it’s a magnificent turn of events. Xpiation will twist your vision and dry your tears of despair in this alarming plot of revenge. Or…atonement?


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