You’ve got to hand it to Menahem Golan and Yorum Globus, the two head honchos of the now-defunct Cannon Films.  For every Chuck Norris chop-sockey epic or Charles Bronson shooting saga they made, they at least attempted something different in the softcore area.  They were behind the most recent Emmanuelle outings, Bo Derek’s Bolero, Sylvia Kristel’s Mata Hari and other R-rated features.  This Belgium-French-Dutch co-production, muddled as it is, could be their last and most interesting effort in the genre.

Michael Sarrazin plays a police inspector with an obsessive love for sister Charlotte Rampling and a secret underground life.  It seems he’s also smitten with a transvestite named Pepper.  He hangs out in a kinky club called Mister Butterfly populated by cross-dressing singers.  A violent murder, and a costume designer’s affair with his sister lead Sarrazin to the deep end.

Mascara, recommended to store owners for placement in a softcore section, is muddled and mystifying at the same time.  The plot is maze-like, and overly confusing.  But if kink is your thing, there’s transvestites, transsexuals and the always exquisite Rampling.  Director Conrad tries to steer the film into Blue Velvet territory, but it never quite makes it.  Still, fans of oddball erotica may appreciate the difference.