A 1999 comedy-drama film directed by Jane Campion, starring Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel.
While on a spiritual journey of discovery in exotic India, beautiful young Australian Ruth Barron (Winslet) falls under the influence of a charismatic religious guru. Her desperate parents then hire PJ Waters (Keitel), a macho American cult deprogrammer who confronts Ruth in a remote desert hideaway. But PJ quickly learns that he's met his match in the sexy, intelligent and iron-willed Ruth.
Tropes:
- Bittersweet Ending: PJ's many attempts to cure Ruth and win her love all fail. A year later, they've both settled down, found different lovers and had children but still manage to profess their love for one another from afar.
- Deprogram: PJ is a deprogrammer called an "exit counselor" who's hired by Ruth's family to break her from what they believe is Indian guru Baba's indoctrination. However, he falls for Ruth while doing so.
- Fan Disservice:
- A distressed, naked Ruth having lit the tree and her sari on fire.
- Harvey Keitel is a red dress.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: PJ watches in lust as Ruth dances and makes out with another woman in a club.
- It Doesn't Mean Anything: Ruth's refusal to get emotionally intimate with PJ after sex and believes it was only a casual thing.
- It Meant Something to Me: PJ falls in love with Ruth after having sex with her and tries to be with her, believing it was something special. It does not go well.
- Kavorka Man: PJ is not particuarly good-looking. Even so, he has sex with two different beautiful (and much younger) women during the film, Ruth and Yvonne, while it's also revealed he's got a committed girlfriend too, Carol, who's also quite attractive. Both of them even come onto him and not the opposite.
- Mad Love: PJ goes mad trying to cure Ruth and ends up falling for her despite her reluctance.
- May–December Romance: Though their ages aren't given specifically, Ruth has sex with PJ, who is clearly much older. Their actors have a 36 year age gap. She declares this meant nothing, though he disagrees strongly and wants to be with her.
- Ms. Fanservice: Ruth is a beautiful young woman, spending a large part of the film wearing a tight-fitting blouse which outlines her large bust, along with showing full frontal nudity in a couple scenes. She also makes out with another woman in a club, turning PJ on while he watches.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The Indian Guru Baba is clearly based on real life spiritual charlatans like Sri Chinmoy
. - Queer Establishing Moment: Ruth, after having sex with PJ, makes out with another woman in a club as he watches lustfully.
- Sex Equals Love: What PJ believes after sleeping with Ruth.
