Independent films don't always hit on all cylinders, but they generally take more chances and are less formulaic than most Hollywood films. They frequently forsake entertainment value and strive for provocative terrain. Such is the case for Rolf de Heer's Alexandra's Project, a minimalist film that explores extreme dysfunction and barren lives (though some may see it as a form of feminist manifesto). Definitely not the most enjoyable film I've seen in the past few months, but it's not one that is easy to forget.

Returning home from work with news of a promotion, a husband (Gary Sweet as Steve) expects a "surprise" birthday party only to find his home deserted with a videotape to watch that initially wishes him a happy birthday and notes that the two children have been sent to a relative's house for the night. The wife (Helen Buday as Alexandra) then engages in a taped strip tease that initially amuses Steve, but soon horrifies him as she goes into a long monologue that explores her sources of unhappiness—a joyless marriage, a possible mastectomy, and mutual infidelities.

The claustrophobic set adds to the atmosphere as well, darkening the mood over what initially appears to be a normal, reasonably happy family. Alexandra is apparently obsessed with security, and Steve has obliged her paranoia by enlisting the security system expertise of his next door neighbor to protect their home without realizing that it's rapidly developing into a prison. An early conversation with his daughter about a cigarette being an imprisoned man's final request foreshadows what is to come—the tight script doesn't take many side roads.

Without a much action the 103 minute Australian film is a voyeuristic exercise, with nearly 2/3 of the movie consisting of Alexandra's disturbing taped monologue, broken up only by occasional pauses in the tape and Steve's reactions, as he tries to figure out what the hell is going on. The dialogue is as emotionally naked as Alexandra's fully disclosed body and is about as unpleasant to listen to as watch her safety pin nipple piercing sequence. The subject matter has been explored in a number of other venues, so the feminist rants about self determination and decrying how her husband only wants her body are hardly original—nothing that a dose of Prozac can't overcome. But outside refusing to tie up loose ends, the film doesn't resort to quick fix solutions and comfortable conventions.

What intrigues is the unique presentation, a pre-mature burial of a mundane lifestyle with an abruptness that plunges the protagonist into a Edgar Alan Poe-like puzzle solving exercise resulting with the brutal realization that his life has been suddenly changed forever. Alexandra's Project definitely won't suit everyone, and this isn't enjoyable cinema. However, the nihilistic film covers familiar territory in a fresh new way that is extremely memorable, so cineastes will find it intriguing.