Change of Fate

Kira Muratova’s typically idiosyncratic adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s play “The Letter” unfolds in an outpost in colonial Asia where Maria (Natalya Leble, in a role most famously played on-screen by Bette Davis), the wife of a government official, kills her lover in what seems to be an act of self-defense—until the appearance of an incriminating letter casts doubt on her version of events. Making experimental use of audio and repetition, Muratova boldly deconstructs the narrative into a fascinating, often absurdist exploration of colonial guilt and moral degradation.