The Dutch Master is a 1993 short film (28 minutes) directed by Susan Seidelman.
Teresa (Mira Sorvino in one of her first film roles) is a young dental hygienist in New York City. She is engaged to be married to Joey, an NYPD cop, but as the film eventually shows that relationship is less than fulfilling. One day on her lunch break, she goes to an art museum, and sees a 17th century Dutch painting. In the painting, a young woman who is already intoxicated drinks wine while a handsome man pours her more, a second handsome man idly smokes a pipe, and an older servant looks on.
Teresa becomes obsessed with the painting, and particularly with the handsome wine-pouring man. On a return visit, to Teresa's shock, the painting comes to life and she watches the wine pourer carry the drunk woman away for sex. She begins to have erotic fantasies of the wine-pouring man and the pipe-smoking man. Eventually, she crosses over the barrier and enters the world of the painting. Or does she?
Aida Turturro plays Kim, a coworker at the dentist. This film was later released as part of an anthology called Tales of Erotica.
Tropes:
- Answer Cut: Joey expresses confidence that he and Teresa weren't having problems with their sex life. Then he says, a little hesitantly, "Yeah, I'm sure." Cut to Teresa looking bored out of her mind as Joey humps away on top of her.
- Erotic Film: Fantasy and reality blur as a sexually frustrated young woman dreams of erotic fulfillment with a handsome man she sees in a painting.
- Letting Her Hair Down: In the Dutch fantasy world, the drunk woman unpins her long hair and lets it all hang down as she has sex with the wine pourer.
- Lingerie Scene: The last scene shows Teresa, seemingly in the painting's world for good, lying on a bed and wearing a white teddy and matching stockings as she caresses herself and waits for one of the men.
- Mr. Fanservice: Both of the handsome men in the painting, but especially the pipe-smoking man, who takes off all of his clothes and takes a bath at Teresa looks on in rapture.
- No Fourth Wall: All the characters except Teresa talk directly to the camera, telling the story.
- The Peeping Tom: There's a peephole from the bathroom to the bedroom in the painting's world. Teresa looks through it and watches the wine pourer have sex with the drunk lady.
- Portal Picture: Teresa begins crossing through the picture frame and entering the 17th century. Eventually she enters the picture forever, seeking in 17th century Holland the sexual pleasure she couldn't find in 20th century New York.
- P.O.V. Cam: Teresa's head lolls over the edge of a couch as Joey has sex with her. Cut to a football game on a TV, upside down, bouncing up and down as Teresa looks at it.
- Revealing Hug: Teresa's bored, empty stare as Joey has sex with her shows how boring her real sex life is, and explains why she's so obsessed with the painting.
- Runaway Bride: The ending. Poor Joey is Stood Up at his wedding. The film cuts to a shot of Teresa's abandoned wedding dress in her room. Then the film shows Teresa, back in the 17th century, lying on a bed and waiting to be taken by one of the men.
- The Voiceless: Teresa never says a word in the film.
- You Can Leave Your Hat On: Teresa goes to Chippendale's with her friends for a bachelorette party, but she is bored by all the muscular naked dudes because she can only think of the wine-pouring handsome man in the painting. Later, a stripper appears at Joey's bachelor party.
