“Miss Julie” is, well, one of them….kinda. Why do I say “kinda?” It’s because you pretty much know from frame one that she’s already coo-coo nutterbeans – the way she hides behind the curtains and watches all the kids and adults dance around the May-Pole. The way she looks and acts you just sort of know this is an M-80 with a short fuse and someone, at some point, is going to light it.

The story quickly turns to a gentleman (or so I thought) going to a barn dance of some sort. Seems this festival lasts a week, or so, and that everyone at the festival is going to hook up. Think of it as a late 1800’s version of EHarmony.com – but, oh boy they’re not going to like this…Miss Julie refuses to dance with the gentleman and everyone has a good laugh of their expense. Which pisses him off but makes Miss Julie feel a tad empowered.

Well…we soon find out that this “gentleman” (or so I thought) is actually Miss Julie’s SERVANT (and her father’s “The Count”). She is the woman of the house (mommy’s not around) and she likes to play this fool like he’s a kazoo (and he’s about as smart). Seems, though, that he’s hooked up with the head cook (or something) – a woman who could have been Margaret “Wicked Witch of the West” Hamilton’s sister. So…since she’s a bit, how would you say, ugly…you just know that Mr. Servant Guy and Miss Julie (in all her raging anger and discomfort) are going to be splitting the sheets soon.

Then the film begins a series of flashbacks mixed with current events mixed (near the end) with some fanciful fantasies of “is this true or not” but circling in and around all this is Miss Julie and her hot angerness.

Servant guy (Jean) admits that he’s loved Julie from afar since he was a boy (hiding out in a beautiful toilet and crawling through the sewage (why there are four or five seats…I don’t know – do people often defecate together?).

Other stories told in flashback: Julie and her early engagement that was called off.

Julie’s mother giving birth to her (instead of the boy the Count wanted) and then forcing her to dress as a boy and do boy chores (while the women did men chores) – causing Miss Julie to go off the deep end.

Young Jean being beaten after going into the Count’s house to get a peek at Miss Julie.

Back to the story at hand.

When one of the servant girls gets angry (or thrown out – I can’t remember which) – she runs into the barn and cries her eyes out – at which point she and the “old guy in the barn” do the deed in the hay. Miss Julie, who wanted to spend some time with Diane (her dog – who she beat after her aborted engagement), ends up getting a big ol’ gander at some good ol’ hay humpin’.

In the mood, or now more distraught she again meets up with Jean and they have an argument in the old style of “We’re going to argue and fight until we end up making love.” Seems, though, that all you need to create a scandal is a bit of neckin’ in the park gazebo (with naked cherubs) and to be overheard by the “old guy in the barn” (who’s not in the barn at this time, but hanging out by the gazebo).

With this possible relationship going on and some discussion about how much people know and what has been done with who and how long (there’s a LOT of talk about sex in this film without the word “sex” ever being used) – the citizens get up in arms and go after Jean and Miss Julie. Seems this is verboten and they (he?) could be killed for dipping his wick where he shouldn’t.

When they hide out in the kitchen (?) Jean’s fiancé (the wicked witch) gets REALLY tired and goes to bed. Then the crowd appears and Jean and Miss Julie do what anyone would do in this situation – they hide and have sex.

The next morning (?) they have to face facts that they’re persona-non-grata in the tri-state area and should skedaddle their hinds out the door. They’ll escape, start a hotel, live their life. But…there’s the fact that Jean is engaged to the “WW of the W” and Miss Julie has a few more flashbacks to talk about. Oh, and her father will be home any godblessed minute!

This is when we get the extended flashback of how Miss Julie became the poster child for nut-jobs (Mom and dad were never married! She had to be dressed as a boy! Mom burned the house down! Mom died!). Okay, I get that. You’re now all hot and 19 (or something) and can’t come to grips with all this…I get it (and, frankly, I would probably be nuts, too).

Still, papa thinks that Miss Julie would still make a good bride for the ex-fiance but he now finds out that some hanky-panky has been going on and after Jean kill’s Julie’s pet bird (they can’t take a bird on the train, what the HELL WAS SHE THINKING?!) – Miss Julie finally goes “round the bend” and kills herself.

What I liked:

Where this film excelled, in my opinion, was in its usage of flashbacks.

The cinematography was outstanding, the story-telling was done VERY well.

Though the subject matter was a bit of a “downer” I would also like to point out that there were some very funny moments.

Tons of sex in the film (but all implied).

What I didn’t like:

Other than the acting by Jean (who looked like Raul Julia) all the other acting seemed WAY OVER THE TOP. There was no real “arc” for Miss Julie. She’s nuts from the first scene until the last.

I had a real hard time grasping the scandal of the “Woman of the house hooking up with the servant” aspect of the story. Would the townspeople really show up and destroy the kitchen? I mean…REALLY?

There was a constant theme of “master v. servant” that also made the film a tad uncomfortable for me. Threatening harm to the woman if she “doesn’t do as she is told” – that I found a bit icky.

Overall:

Watch for the unique story telling and ribald sexuality…that’s all I can really find to recommend this film.