The Handmaid's Tale (1990 - R)

In the near future, in the Republic of Gilead, fertile women become the property of the church/state.

This film could be compared to "1984." Natasha Richardson delivers a powerful performance as a fertile woman, "loaned" to a married couple. Robert Duvall is spooky as an evil man who thinks he's a nice guy. Scenes of Duvall attempting to impregnate Richardson are brutal and unforgetable. Dunaway impresses as Duvall's wife.

The cast includes: Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth McGovern, Victoria Tennant, and Robert Duvall.

Directed by Volker Schlondorff.

SYNOPSIS...

In the future, in the Republic of Gilead, most women are sterile. When Kate, a fertile woman, tries to escape across the border, she's taken into custody by the state.

She is forced to join the "Handmaids," a quasi-religious order whose job it is to bear children for upper crust husbands with sterile wives. Kate is placed into the home of The Commander and Serena Joy, where she must take part in savage sex "ceremonies".

When Serena finds out that Kate has escorted The Commander to an illegal nightclub, she orders The Commander to send her away. Kate kills The Commander, then is spirited away by members of the rebel underground to live in their mountain hideaway.