Deep Thoughts Movie Review

Original title: Pensieri Morbosi 

Year: 1980 
Running Time: 76 min 
Country: Italy 
Director: Jacques Orth 
Screenwriter: Jacques Orth 
Genre: Drama | Erotic

Deep Thoughts, whose Italian title is Pensieri Morbosi, is an Italian drama dating from 1980 by director Jacques Orth. The movie runs on emotional tumult and fleshly lusts that reflect the unfathomable intricacy of human relationships. Running only 76 minutes, it is compact yet explosive-a display of the inner psychological mechanism of the characters.

Events in the plot involve the characters finding their way through some dark, and for the most part, disturbing situations. The personal fights and intimate desires are founded on what leads to very dramatic moments in the story. The movie has strong erotic overtones; however, it does not chime with just mere provocation but tries to delve into deeper psychological themes. The tension that is built accrues from the character's actions and emotions, which are hardly predictable.

Adding to it, the visual tone of cinematographer François About turns the movie darkly. It carries emotional weight in each scene due to the captured internal struggles of the characters through stark contrasts and moody lighting.

The cast is composed of established and up-and-coming talents of the time, including Jean-Pierre Armand, Raf Baldassarre, Kieran Canter, Thierry de Brem, Marcella Petrelli, and Ajita Wilson, and their performances add weight to the story, especially in high-emotional scenes. Among them, the strong screen presences of Marcella Petrelli and Ajita Wilson do bring an element of intense feelings into their characters.

The brainchild of Spectacular Trading International, Deep Thoughts falls square within the category of European erotic dramas that suddenly became so popular at the close of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s. It does, however, try to differentiate itself from its brethren by dealing in a more psychological manner with its characters, rather than simply appealing to base sensuality.

Not to everyone's taste, perhaps, but Deep Thoughts is a fascinating journey into the murkier sides of human emotion and desire.