After the body of a young woman is found in her garden, New York literature professor Frannie (Meg Ryan, cast strikingly against type) becomes involved with the police detective (Mark Ruffalo) leading the investigation. As her attraction to him grows, so does her suspicion that he may be in some way connected to the murder. 

Jane Campion’s 2003 adaptation of Susanna Moore’s novel resists and subverts our expectations of the serial killer thriller at every step, revealing itself instead to be an intimate study of female desire and sexual psychology. Frankly erotic and uncompromising in its commitment to a resolutely female perspective, the film was under-appreciated on release but has since developed a passionate following, with critic David Thomson hailing it as a “masterpiece”. 

We’re delighted to welcome Jane Campion for a post-screening Q+A.