Bambola is not a good movie. But on Netflix, nestled between a true crime documentary and a rom-com, it became something rarer: a genuine, unpredictable artifact.

★★☆☆☆ (★★★☆☆ for Camp Value) Where to watch: Check Netflix (rotating), Tubi (free with ads), or Apple TV (rental). Have you seen Bambola? Share your reaction on X (Twitter) with the hashtag #BambolaResurrection.

The plot ignites when a brutish, animalistic butcher named Ugo (Stefano Dionisi) enters the scene. A love triangle—or more accurately, a love wrecking ball —ensues. Ugo is a literal beast: he eats raw meat, communicates in grunts, and engages in violent, public sex. When Ugo kills a man in a jealous rage, Bambola helps him hide the body, leading to a spiral of paranoia, incestuous tension, and a finale involving a buried-alive sequence that rivals Kill Bill for sheer absurdity. Director Bigas Luna is a master of "esquizofrenia ibérica" (Iberian schizophrenia), blending surrealism, eroticism, and grotesque social satire. Bambola was intended as the third film in his "Iberian trilogy" following the Oscar-nominated Jamón, Jamón (which launched Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem).

One such film is (1996), the Italian erotic drama directed by the flamboyant and controversial Bigas Luna ( Jamón, Jamón ).