Based on the novel by Knut Hamsun, Paul de Lussanet's first feature, Mysteries, is a psychological drama charged with a stylish symbolism and a dream-like fancifulness. Filmed entirely on the Isle of Man, the exquisite cinematography of Robby Müller (who shot Wim Wenders' films) captures a setting both untamed and unspoiled. The film is further enhanced by fine performances by Rita Tushingham and internationally known Dutch actors Sylvia Kristel and Rutger Hauer. The story, set in the late nineteenth century, concerns the arrival of a stranger (clad in a suit of canary-yellow velvet) to a sleepy, parochial seaside community. Hiding behind his own mysterious intentions, he is admitted into an otherwise closed society by virtue of the curiosity he arouses in a host of bizarre local characters. These include an alcoholic doctor and his prudish wife, the provocative daughter of the vicar, the white-haired woman who lives in retreat in her chalet, a skittish young servant girl, and finally, the stranger's own girlfriend who appears "out of the past."