The Scary Of Sixty-First

Dasha Nekrasova's surrealist Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew influenced horror tale comes to life in the Blu-ray package with an expansive set of extras. It's beautifully presented, with art cards and a booklet to enjoy besides the material on the disc itself, reflecting the care taken in the film itself. With Nekrasova's star in the ascendancy, it might well mark the start of an important collection.

Alongside the audio commentaries, which tease out aspects of the film perhaps not apparent on first viewing, there are three featurettes here. The first features Nekrasova herself, discussing where the film came from and how it developed, describing herself as going through a manic episode when she first started writing, which may go some way towards accounting for its singular tone. She discourses on her decision to connect the work to Kubrick's work and the way in which she was (ironically, some might think) influenced by the work of Polanski.

In the second featurette, star Betsey Brown talks about her attraction to exactly the kind of extremes and uncomfortable scenes which most actors shy away from, and the relevance of the film's most difficult moments to the experience of trauma. She speaks to widespread public belief about Epstein and reflects on means of responding to responding to and processing such horrors.

Finally, there's an interview with Mark Rappaport, who details some of the work which he did as a producer and also talks about his character. Alert to his outsider status in approaching a film which is intensely focused on women's experiences, he nevertheless finds plenty to say about the positioning and purpose of such art, as well as describing his excitement on learning of its success in Berlin.

All of this material helps to put the film in context and draw out its different dimensions, enabling viewers to better appreciate this complex piece of work.