Directed by Monika Treut and Elfi Mikesch • 1985 • West Germany
Starring Mechthild Großmann, Udo Kier, Sheila McLaughlin

Wanda (Mechthild Großmann) is a dominatrix who runs an S/M performance space in Hamburg where she stages elaborate sexual rituals for a discerning audience. Cruelty is her profession, but constructing traps for her lovers—including the lovelorn Gregor (Udo Kier), the innocent Justine (Sheila McLaughlin), and the jaded Caren (Carola Regnier)—is her specialty. All know the rules of the game, but not all are willing to play their roles. Still, the show must go on. Inspired by the writings of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Monika Treut and Elfi Mikesch’s SEDUCTION: THE CRUEL WOMAN is a coolly sensual tribute to masochism and obsession in all its forms, as well as a landmark work of lesbian cinema.