Black Moon (1975, dir. Louis Malle) ***.5/****

I had the privilege of viewing Louis Malle's 1975 film, Black Moon yesterday and it had to be one of the strangest films I've seen in a while.  It is slightly reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.  A young girl is driving in a war-torn countryside and avoids being shot by a group of soldiers.  The war is seemingly between the sexes and she witnesses a firing squad where a group of women are gunned down by a group of armed men.  She manages to get away and soon finds herself on the grounds of an old mansion isolated from the rest of the world.  There isn't much of plot to this movie but a lot of weird things happen.  An old women is breast-fed by her daughter and the main character, little feral, naked children are constantly running around, and many of the animals around the household can talk including a unicorn.  The film is apparently about the sexual awakening of the young girl and there is a lot of dealing with the natural world which is very much alive and possesses and equality with humanity.  The film is reminiscent of a dream (at times a nightmare) and there is very little talking in it.  The communication is via touch most of the time and the sensation of touch is prominent theme throughout the film.  Truly bizarre but fascinating at the same time.