Lemora belongs to a group of films which unravel as darkly sexual coming of age parables, with fantastical narratives in which adolescent girls on the cusp of adulthood find themselves in menacing, arguably psychological landscapes pursued by monsters, both literal and figurative. Films such as The Company of Wolves, Valerie & Her Week of Wonders, The Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth, Paperhouse, Pan’s Labyrinth and Catherine Breillat’s Sleeping Beauty all explore and unfold within the dreams and fantasies of young women, who must use their resourcefulness, strength and virtue to overcome danger and emerge into adulthood, victorious and transformed. The narratives these girls wander through echo the initiations of folk and fairy tales in which the girl must outsmart the monster and obtain knowledge and experience. Lemora may not be as complex as the likes of The Company of Wolves but it certainly has moments that are almost as provocative. While the werewolves in Jordan and Carter’s film were metaphors for different aspects of sexuality - including adult sexuality in general, active female sexuality and aggressive male sexuality - the mindless forest vampires in Lemora merely speak of aggressive male sexuality and thrive on brutal instinct, completely without reason...
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