In an unnamed European town, in an unspecified era, live Cynthia and Evelyn. Every day Evelyn cycles to Cynthia’s chateau to work as a lowly maid and every day the cruel, vindictive Cynthia inflicts countless sadistic humiliations upon her. But as the days go by and the pair begin to reveal themselves, it becomes clear that the humiliation may not all be of Cynthia’s design.

Duke of Burgundy is a beautifully stylised, wilfully ambiguous love story; an occasionally gently witty but emotionally demanding hypnosis. Peter Strickland’s films are not merely flawless cinema they are also strikingly original.