Director Eric Werthman has been a New York therapist for 25 years, and the temptation is to read his absorbing, daring debut feature as autobiography. Peter (Roger Rees) is likewise a middle-aged analyst, and he spends his evenings at an S&M club, serviced by an understanding dominatrix (Geno Lechner). It’s a kind of therapy for him, but Peter should know better than to try to see his dominatrix outside of her work. He “goes under” when he starts wanting to have coffee with her and hear about her personal life and have old-fashioned missionary sex. What’s most interesting about Going Under is its transgressive fervor: sado-masochism between agreeing parties is seen in a positive light, as Peter has a jolly good time being beaten and humiliated. If you’ve never been in an actual subterranean S&M parlor, step down into Going Under.
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