Sirens (1994)

Sirens is an atmospheric, adult, character study taking place in Australia in the 1930's. A young Anglican vicar, dispatched by his clerical superior, leaves England for Australia, accompanied by his lovely wife, for the purpose of meeting with a renegade artist and attempting to dissuade him from including his most controversial painting in a scheduled public exhibition. Although the clergy have never been particularly happy with the artist's paintings, replete with cavorting sensual nudes, they were very definitely opposed to the public display of "The Crucifixion of Venus", a disturbingly erotic depiction of a beautiful nude woman being nailed to a cross. Arriving in a remote Australian town nestled in the rugged beauty of the great outdoors, the vicar and his wife lodge with the artist in his unconventional household. The artist's wife, and several young women who live on the grounds, model nude for the artist, as does the man who lives nearby in the wilds. During the ensuing week the vicar tries to reason with his host concerning the public display of the painting, but the artist will not be stopped. Slowly, the vicar's wife falls under the spell of this new, uninhibited environment, succumbing to erotic fantasies and invariably allowing herself to be drawn into various sexual encounters. On an afternoon walk, the vicar witnesses his wife involved in one such escapade on the bank of a pond. When he implies later that he saw her, their relationship is tested. Ultimately, she comes back to her former sensibilities, refraining from further infidelities but continuing her fantasies, which brings a newfound sensuality to her relationship with her husband.