The wife of a barbaric crime boss engages in a secretive romance with a gentle bookseller between meals at her husband's restaurant. Food, colour coding, sex, murder, torture and cannibalism are the exotic fare in this beautifully filmed but brutally uncompromising modern fable which has been interpreted as an allegory for Thatcherism.
Much strong nudity is present; there are several sex scenes but they are not particularly graphic.
violence
One male character commits much violence; a child is beaten and somewhat tortured; a man is beaten and kicked. A female is bullied and humiliated. A character is later killed (the act is unseen).
One scene which will disturb many is that a previously killed character is cooked, while another character is forced to eat him (a bite is taken from his body and eaten).
profanity
Some moderate curse words are uttered, although nothing strong.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) Photos
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) Movie Stars
