SINNER: THE SECRET DIARY OF A NYMPHOMANIAC (1973)

A Film by legendary cult director Jesús “Jess” Franco (The Diabolical Dr. Z, The Blood of Fu Manchu, Venus in Furs, Count Dracula, Lorna… the Exorcist). Made at the height of Franco’s creative prowess, Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac is a grindhouse Citizen Kane: a moody tale of one woman’s sexual evolution and shocking demise, told through the eyes of those who knew her. When Linda (Montserrat Prous) dies in the arms of her lover (Manuel Pereiro), the man’s wife (Jacqueline Laurent) investigates the dead woman’s past, to try and clear her husband’s name. As it weaves together the tangled threads of Linda’s tragic life, Sinner leads the viewer into a voyeuristic labyrinth of seedy discotheques, sultry jazz clubs, and delicious ’70s sex pads, backed with an acid rock soundtrack and oversaturated visuals that bring the film to the edge of psychedelia. Within its depths, Sinner reveals unexpected layers of narrative and emotional complexity, demonstrating why Franco remains one of the most under-appreciated filmmakers of European cinema.