When I saw the trailer for Sanatorium, I wasn't sure what to think. The obvious dark themes evoked a disturbing, demented tension. The film is visually stunning with a mix of 35mm and HD digital camera work mixed seamlessly with a non-linear plot and an overwhelming variety of symbolic sets.

Dealing with themes of hypocrisy, violence, repression and coercion, the characters of this twisted tale play out an erotic and esoteric journey into the soul.

The sequence of events weaves back and forth between hot, undirected sex scenes between a number of big industry names and flashbacks depicting scenes of anger, insanity and deplorable sexual violence. It may be hard to follow, but the process of spiritual enlightenment and call for revolution is clear.

Keep in mind that this isn't really the type of film you put on for background noise. I didn't want to get distracted by getting sexy with my hubby because I wanted to know how the film ended!

The star of this show is really Tabitha Stevens. With her input in the entire process, she shines as the devious heroine struggling through a deeply personal, spiritual and sexual journey. Her antagonist, Nick Manning, does his job perfectly playing the man everyone loves to hate.

The chemistry throughout the film is steamy hot, in particular between real-life couples Francesca Leigh and Mark Wood with Raylene and Ethan Hawk.

If you find after watching the film once or twice you still don't really get it, check out the actor interviews and director's commentary. Ignore all the times the director compares himself to legends like Jodorowsky and you will have a much clearer view of the message behind the movie.

If you are buying this just for the suicide suspension scene in the trailer, you should know that the short clip shown there is about as much as you'll see in the final cut of the film. Unfortunately, the film world and reality are not that far apart, and most of the good stuff from this incredible feat had to be left out due to concerns about current obscenity laws. If you are lucky enough to check out the deleted scenes, you'll see the (somewhat) longer extended cut of this shoot, blood and all.