Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

As battle sounds boom in the distance, moody blonde teenager Cathryn Harrison (as Lily) accidentally hits and kills an animal while speeding on a lonely country road. Avoiding capture by men – inexplicably at war with women – she drives off to an estate filled with various animals. What she sees first are mostly sheep and naked young children. Three adults are also present. Babbling and bedridden Therese Giehse (in her final film, as "Old Lady") lives upstairs. Her closest animal companion is a very large rat. A young man and woman, both looking like fashion models, are more mobile; they are Joe Dallesandro (as "Brother Lily") and Alexandra Stewart (as "Sister Lily"). Strangest of the animals is a talking unicorn, who is well-read enough to quote Shakespeare. You might consider this an apocalyptic version of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"..."Why did Lily throw clocks out the window?" Well, to see time fly, of course...Writer-director Louis Malle is behind "Black Moon". Possibly, the title refers to a moonless phase as there is little moon or sunlight in the film. The most artistic quality of this "art film" is the lovely cinematography, by Sven Nykvist. Other than that, there isn't much beyond whatever is going on in Mr. Malle's mind. One interpretation is as good as any, so here's mine. In her sexual "coming of age" years, young Ms. Harrison (daughter of Noel Harrison and granddaughter of Rex Harrison) is provided with large glasses of milk. Consider, also, the old woman likes breast-feeding (on Ms. Stewart's breasts). Watch as Malle directs Harrison to progressively unbutton her shirt as she begins to act more "motherly" to Ms. Giehse. You wonder if Harrison will eventually offer her nubile breasts to the old woman. Stay tuned for the answer to this question and a surprise bonus...*** Black Moon (9/24/75) Louis Malle ~ Cathryn Harrison, Therese Giehse, Joe Dallesandro, Alexandra Stewart

Liking or disliking this film appears roughly to be about a 50/50 split. In order to write a review that might add something useful to the many already written, I will try to point out some elements that could affect your enjoyment of this movie thereby helping you decide if you want to spend the time watching it, to wit:First off, it's not sci-fi. It is a fetishistic, pseudo-erotic fantasy that will not be particularly arousing to most people in the mainstream. There were several scenes that collectively made me decide to take "Uncle Louis" (Louis Malle, the director) off of my "A" list of babysitters.Secondly, while there are a few vague similarities to Charles L. Dodgson's (Lewis Carroll) "Alice in Wonderland", this thing is not even close. Dodgson's masterpiece combination of comically bizarre characters, charmingly absurd situations, wildly imaginative scenery and brilliantly logical dialogue remains both treasured and unmatched in all of history's known literature. On the other hand, this muddled romp through Louis Malle's rather...er..."peculiar" mind has all of the charm of a full-for-5-days, fish offal bin, on a hot August afternoon.The reviews that allude to this film being allegorical and/or composed of a parable(s) and/or containing deep "messages" regarding war, social inequity, animal rights, etc., etc., ad nauseum must have Malle rolling on the floor, laughing hysterically. A more realistic interpretation is that Malle decided to knit together a bunch of idiotic scenarios that had formed in his head while he was thinking about the silly and/or contentious issues of the day (radical feminism, the Vietnam war, etc.) mixed with the black sludge contents of his own psyche. The end result being "Black Moon". The point is that there is no point to this movie and it is likely deliberate!So, if you like watching films that are well-produced, well-photographed, artless euro- bourgeois, jumbled stream-of-consciousness, incoherent, pseudo-socially mindful, plot- free, products of Louis Malle's contemporary (to 1975) musings and possible masturbatory fantasies, then "Black Moon" is for you! Otherwise you might want to consider a good action-thriller and a tub of buttered popcorn (you'll have waaaaay more fun)!Best Regards, OtherView

This movie is one of a kind. It was so weird I couldn't stop watching it. If you like strange and unusual movies like I do, then watch this one. You won't be disappointed. I've seen it 3 times so far and I still never ever get bored with it. I can only imagine what the writer was smoking when he wrote this story. It's one of those movies that stays with you forever. It makes no sense whatsoever, but, you can't stop watching it. For those of you who have never heard of it or seen it, you should definitely give it a whirl. You might have to watch it 2 or 3 times like I did, to try and understand what the hell is going on. Good luck and enjoy.

This movie starts in the middle of nowhere, has nowhere to go, and takes ALL DAY to get there. I like to think I enjoy strange and eclectic works of art, but this just blew me out of the water. There is a remote possibility for a plot, but since there is absolutely no setup or introduction (it just dives into the middle of a chain of events) all meaning is lost throughout the movie. I have never seen a work that was not a silent film that had less dialogue. Seriously, almost no one talks. It's like the people the 'protagonist' (can there be a protagonist without a plot?) comes into contact with simply speak through massages (not a typo- I really said massages). This movie is full of disgusting imagery and hints of incest. As another reviewer mentioned, the soundtrack is absolutely appalling. This film seems to be a series of random events and not one character finds any of it the least bit strange. Even a symbolic or metaphorical work needs to have some kind of realism or make some kind of sense to be in the least bit effective. The only thing this film is effective at is boring the viewer to sleep. Seriously, if you haven't yet, do NOT waste your time finding, renting, borrowing, purchasing, previewing, or even pirating this film. It's just not worth it.