Passion in Hot Hollows

Unheralded 60s auteur Joseph Sarno moves his internecine psychological wars to backwoods America to great effect in this opus. As usual, the writer-director's strategy is to reveal the characters and their relationships through brief dialogue scenes and sexual liaisons, gradually interweaving the plot threads, upping the intensity and revealing the sordid intentions lurking beneath the surface. A few of the method actors are rather unconvincing in their accents and mannerisms, and the scenes tend to be static due to the extreme low budget. But the Dreyer-like chiaroscuro lighting, the insinuating bongo-driven jazz score, and the intense portrayals make this one of his most compelling dramas, fitting well within the experimental art cinema of the 60s despite the exploitation pedigree. The eroticism is more intense than in his better-known earlier films, and the betrayals crueler than ever. A must-see piece of the Sarno puzzle.