Black Moon

In a world riven by a brutal feud between men and women, a teenage girl escapes into a hidden settlement that defies the rules of society. Inside this secluded place lives a family with a sister and a brother, many children, and an elderly woman who clings to life with the help of a crackling radio that keeps her in contact with the wider world. A peculiar unicorn roams the grounds, becoming a silent symbol of wonder and danger. As the girl asks questions about power, belonging, and fear, the boundary between dream and reality grows hazy, and choices about loyalty and survival start to matter more than ever. The film glides between lyrical imagery and unsettling mood, inviting viewers to read signs and shapes rather than rely on straightforward explanation. Its atmosphere lingers long after the screen goes dark.

Directed by Louis Malle with Joyce Buñuel, Black Moon arrived in 1975 as a daring blend of fantasy and horror. The film draws on European art cinema sensibilities, offering dreamlike imagery, fluid pacing, and a deliberately ambiguous tone. It seems to be an original collaboration rather than a faithful adaptation of a specific source.

Box office data for Black Moon is not widely published, reflecting its limited release and status as a niche art film. The movie did not become a major box office event, but it earned a place among fans of experimental cinema.

There are no widely reported major award nominations for Black Moon. Critics at the time and later have celebrated its bold visuals and surreal atmosphere, praising the way it pushes genre boundaries. Over time it has secured a place as a cult touchstone of 1970s European cinema.

Reception was mixed, with some viewers dazzled by the film's beauty and others unsettled by its opacity. Thematically it probes power dynamics between genders and the lure of retreat from a world at war, using a hidden household, a cryptic unicorn, and the bedridden old woman who communicates through a radio as focal symbols.