in holland a gay writer gerard ( jeroen krabbe ) give a lecture . he stay overnight with a beautiful woman christine ( renee soutendijk ) and have sex with her ( by imagine she a boy ) . he plan to leave the next day and but get a look at a picture of christine hunky boyfriend herman ( thom hoffman ) and decide to stay to have a try at him . then thing get strange . a big x rat art house hit in the u in 1983. why be it x rat . let see . there strangulation and full frontal male and female nudity and castration and mutilation and simulate sex and a scene in a church with a cross that will shock most people and a gay sex scene in a crypt . and it all a comedy . paul verhoeven make this after spetters . spetters be attack by the critic for it extreme sexual sequence and denounce a trash . so and verhoeven fill this film with very obvious symbolism think the critic would think it be art and praise it . he be right . critic love the film not realize that verhoeven be play a big joke on them . still and it a great film . it beautifully shoot by jan de bont ( now a director himself ) and there so much symbolism and obvious hidden layer in the dialogue that youre never bore . all the acting be great krabbe play a thoroughly despicable character but ( somehow ) have you root for him while soutendijk be just stun to look at and play her part to perfection the little smile she give when gerard agree to stay with her be chill while hoffman be extremely handsome with a great body he deserve credit for do the church sequence and go at with krabbe in the crypt . this be not for people easily offend or the weak of heart and but if you like extreme movie that playfully challenge you ( like me ) this be for you . a 10 all the way .