Saw Belladonna of Sadness (thanks Lea and Ian!) It was a beautifully animated film about a woman in vaguely medieval times who is raped on her wedding night. After some further misfortunes, she makes a bargain with supernatural forces for power and revenge. The film comes from the 70s and has some amazing psychedelic sequences, especially relating to the supernatural creatures. The nature of the power she buys is traditional witchery: aphrodisiacs and potions to prevent pregnancy. There's a coda to the film which was apparently added on in a re-release tying this female empowerment to the ensuing French revolution (it's not clear exactly where this film takes place however.)
The film is seriously beautiful however. There's a lot of slow pans over still images, lending the film a static, timeless, fairy-tale-like quality. This is mixed with some frankly erotic animations of orgies, people flowing into each other, combining with and transforming into giant phalluses and vaginas. It's noteworthy that the creature the protagonist makes a deal with resembles a penis almost from the first moment he's on screen.
I dug this film. It's stillness makes it drag a bit near the end, but I think it earns its slowness and its pauses. It's the sort of film that can put you to sleep or entrance you and it rewards entrancement. A very pretty film.
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