Compulsion (2016)

Erotic novelist Sadie Glass (Analeigh Tipton) has a complicated relationship with boyfriend Thierry. At a book reading, she meets Alex who invites her to his palatial estate. She brings along new acquaintance Francesca.

At first, I assumed this to be an arthouse 50 Shades movie. Then there is the turn into an arthouse Euro horror. In the end, it's an Eyes Wide Shut situation with a bit of blood. Its biggest problem is the lack of depth with Sadie. She's a cold fish and there is no way to engage with her character. None of the characters have much depth. The Euro horror could have worked but like the vastness of its palace setting, there is an emptiness to the movie. It has no tension and makes no connection with the audience. This might work if Sadie starts off as a mousy character and the erotic horror starts opening her up. As it stands, there is no character progression either. It has the semblance of style with limited substance.