This Stupid Roman Polanski Film Only Made $64 At The Box Office

What? is a movie from the 70s that offers a revealing window into Roman Polanski’s perversions. It’s an X-rated nudity extravaganza that drifts so far into meaninglessness, the title itself becomes a joke. The film was originally called Diary of Forbidden Dreams, but after one of the actors saw it, he just said, What? As in: what was that? Is that even a movie? What?!?

If any rational description can be forced onto it, What? is an erotic retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Except Wonderland is a villa in Italy crawling with perverts, pimps, priests, a Nietzsche-obsessed nurse, and horny art collectors. There’s no plot, no structure, and no real direction—just Polanski letting the camera roll while Sydne Rome wanders around topless.

This is not one of Polanski’s cult masterpieces, nor is it a misunderstood gem. It’s a deeply unserious film that somehow manages to be both boring and insane. Supposedly, Polanski thought it would be his best movie. It ended up making $64 at the box office.

In a way, What? feels like the original blueprint for Harmony Korine’s later films—Spring Breakers, The Beach Bum—that same mix of psychedelic absurdity, sexual provocation, and nonsensical structure, dressed up in beautiful cinematography and set in a dreamy location. But while Korine’s movies often carry a subtle emotional undercurrent, Polanski’s What? feels like pure, unchecked indulgence—likely drug-fueled and riding the high of his Rosemary’s Baby success.

One IMDb reviewer captured the energy perfectly:

I’ve never seen a movie that feels more like an off-his-rocker director who’d recently found fame and riches, likely on a drug binge, using his funding to basically say **** you and splooge all over his entire audience, by making a completely ridiculous, meandering, pointless, and entirely nonsensical “movie,” which of course stars a strikingly gorgeous lead actress who is half-naked the majority of the time.

They go on:

I am a huge fan of Roman Polanski’s early filmography (60s–70s) but I swear he must have been on a drug BINGE when he decided to make this movie. Thriving after the success of Rosemary’s Baby, binging on who knows what, and thinking “I can do whatever I want, so I’m going to do this, LOL.” One of the most careless celluloid jerk-offs I have ever seen. Is Sydne Rome beautiful? Yes. Is the movie hilarious? Sometimes, but not usually. Does it have a plot? No. Is there any sort of structural progression to it? No. Is it hilarious that he made it? Yes. Will I ever watch it again? Probably not.

But to each their own, and if you dare want to watch this film, you can buy it on Blu-Ray. Obviously it’s not streaming anywhere.