Sidse Babett Knudsen (best known for Borgen ) is a marvel of micro-expression. As Cynthia, she is the reluctant dominatrix. She doesn’t want to punish Evelyn; she wants to read about butterflies. Watching Knudsen switch from stern cruelty to exhausted, loving tenderness in a single glance is a masterclass in acting.
Furthermore, the complete absence of men, cars, or modern technology (the time period is intentionally vague) creates a dreamlike bubble. While this is beautiful, it occasionally robs the relationship of any external stakes. The only drama is internal. The Duke Of Burgundy
Chiara D’Anna, with her saucer-like eyes and silent film-star presence, is equally brilliant. Evelyn is a bottom who requires a very specific kind of top—and when Cynthia fails to meet those demands (by being too gentle, or forgetting the correct script), Evelyn’s quiet devastation is genuinely moving. You realize that for Evelyn, the ritual isn't just kinky fun; it is a form of therapy, a way to feel seen. Sidse Babett Knudsen (best known for Borgen )
The twist is that Evelyn is the one writing the daily script. She is the dominant partner in the relationship demanding to be subjugated. The Duke of Burgundy is a film about the exhausting, beautiful, and often heartbreaking logistics of a long-term BDSM relationship—but one that feels less like Fifty Shades of Grey and more like a lost, erotic Ingmar Bergman film. Watching Knudsen switch from stern cruelty to exhausted,
Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) is a stern, imperious lepidopterist. Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna) is her seemingly put-upon housemaid. Each day, Evelyn arrives late, spills coffee, or fails to polish a boot correctly, earning a humiliating punishment from her mistress. Each night, after the "work" is done, they collapse into bed together, whispering tenderly.