Phantom Love is a surreal drama about an enmeshed family, in which violence and trauma are steadily percolating, just beneath the surface.
The main character, Lulu (Marina Shoif) appears at first to be a continuation of the frozen heroine Tinka represented in Menkes’s earlier films and refers to her directly: she has alienated sex (like in Magdalena Viraga) and works in a casino (like in Queen of Diamonds). But midway into the story, this character explodes – literally. The ice shield shatters and a wounded, raw interior comes crashing out, finally leading to glimmers of light and liberation. (Nina Menkes, USA, 2007, 87 min.)