A Certain Sacrifice

"Certain to shock, certain to be talked about, and certain to be a collectors item.”

That is the informing statement on the box of this rare piece of music history. Shot in 1979 but not released to the public until 1985, A Certain Sacrifice is the first project ever in which Madonna tested out her acting abilities. Though raw and mostly improvised, it's clear that even an un-known, 20-year old Madonna had intrigue which would be better displayed in her later projects.

The 'hero', so to speak, of this Stephen Jon Lewicki directed film is Dashiel (Jeremy Pattnosh). Dashiel is a rebellious early-twenty-something year old guy whose life is in a state of chaos until he meets our 'heroine' Bruna (Madonna). The two meet in a perplexing water fountain scene where Dashiel tries to rob the beautifully tom-boy chic Bruna, until she wrestles the gun out of his hands, enticing him as only Madonna can do.

The two have their share of problems living in New York's Lower East Side. Dashiel keeps bumping into a middle-aged, lust driven man named Ramond Hall, and Bruna has a "family of lovers", as she calls her slave-like friends, who are upset with her because she has transferred her love from them to the young Dashiel.

While in a diner relaxing with Dashiel, Bruna goes to the restroom to reapply her lipstick, and then is brutally raped by the disgusting Raymond Hall. Though this film is unrated, no explicit sexual content is shown, however the viewer sees a bloodied and bruised Bruna emerge from the restroom, cluing the viewer to the fact that she had just been horribly assaulted.

Bruna and Dashiel receive their revenge in a spooky conclusion, which is a bit on the creepy, disgusting side and utilizes a lot of fake blood.

Though quick-cut, and at times verbally intangible, this one-hour long experimental film is unique, controversial, and definitely a vital part of Madonna's history.