Overview
A gripping exploration of trauma and justice unfolds in a tense standoff.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- claustrophobic
- paranoid
- harrowing
- serious movie night
- political thriller evening
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a generally favorable, actor-driven chamber thriller whose theatrical intensity makes its moral uncertainty compelling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paulina's traumatic memory and Dr. Miranda's denials drive the investigation without providing stable certainty.
The married couple's home becomes the arena for confronting alleged crimes of the former regime.
Paulina's detention of Miranda produces shifting control among Paulina, Gerardo, and their prisoner.
The play-derived story concentrates on performances and sustained dialogue during the captivity and interrogation.
Films like Death and the Maiden, and why
The Secret in Their Eyes
shared moral ambiguity, political trauma, claustrophobic psychological suspense, and disputed memory
Prisoners
shared revenge premise, coercive interrogation, sexual violence trauma, and morally unsettled justice
The Lives of Others
shared chamber-drama intensity, unreliable testimony, and post-dictatorship reckoning
Sleuth
shared theatrical structure, captivity, psychological power struggle, and ambiguous truth
Movie Details
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Release Date
- 1994-05-04
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (585)
Cast
- Sigourney Weaver
- Ben Kingsley
- Stuart Wilson
- Krystia Mova
- Jonathan Vega
- Rodolphe Vega
- Gilberto Cortés
- Jorge Cruz
- Carlos Moreno
- Eduardo Valenzuela
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Death and the Maiden about?
- A traumatized activist turns a chance encounter into a perilous private tribunal over the uncertain truth of state torture.
- What is Death and the Maiden like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Death and the Maiden as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Death and the Maiden violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Death and the Maiden as moderate.
- What did critics think of Death and the Maiden?
- Critics broadly found the film a generally favorable, actor-driven chamber thriller whose theatrical intensity makes its moral uncertainty compelling.
- Which films are like Death and the Maiden?
- Films with a similar feel include The Secret in Their Eyes, Prisoners, The Lives of Others, and Sleuth.
- How long is Death and the Maiden?
- Death and the Maiden runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Death and the Maiden?
- In United States, Death and the Maiden streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
