Tattoo 1981

Offer to collaborate on tattoos

Renowned photographer Halsey approaches Karl Kinsky to design and apply temporary tattoos for a swimsuit model shoot. Despite his initial hesitations, Kinsky accepts after seeing samples and a photograph of Maddy, sensing a career-defining opportunity. This meeting sets the project in motion and foreshadows a complicated personal dynamic.

Maddy arrives late; bonding over tattoos

Maddy arrives late to the shoot, and she and Kinsky connect when she recognizes the Japanese influence in his arm tattoos. They exchange comments on artistry, and a subtle bond forms between them amid the bustle of the set. The shoot becomes a catalyst for growing tension between their professional and personal interests.

Jealousy and dinner invitation

After the shoot, Kinsky quietly eavesdrops on Maddy with her flirtatious boyfriend Buddy, heightening his jealousy. Maddy complains about having to take sleeping pills for Buddy’s odd hours and then invites Kinsky to dinner, signaling a turn toward a more intimate connection. The invitation marks the start of a volatile, increasingly dependent dynamic.

Dinner and drive to Maddy's apartment; sex show

At dinner, Kinsky asserts control, even confronting the maître d’ and threatening Maddy's ex Albert for profanity. They leave the restaurant and drive toward Maddy's apartment, but he initially stays outside and then heads to a sex show, where he confronts a peep show girl. The night underscores the boundary-pushing obsession taking shape.

Voyeur encounter

Kinsky visits a sex show and aggressively engages with a peep show girl, revealing his fixation with spectacle and control. The encounter foreshadows how he will treat Maddy later in the story. The episode deepens the sense of an obsessively transactional relationship.

Central Park gesture and invitation

The next day, Kinsky surprises Maddy in Central Park with flowers and confronts her about using sleeping pills, signaling a mounting obsession. He then invites her to dine at his apartment, setting the stage for a more intensive dynamic between them. The gesture marks a shift from casual to coercive attention.

The mark theory; commitment tug-of-war

In his apartment, they discuss life and art as Maddy admires his tattoo equipment. Kinsky explains his theory that the ‘mark’ is about belonging, insisting on commitment and warning against casual flings. She flirts but he refuses to concede, then they walk back to the street, agreeing to meet again at the Met’s Japanese art exhibition.

Late-night phone harassment

Kinsky phones Maddy repeatedly, berating her from a telephone booth and intruding on her modeling schedule. When she asks him to stop, he returns to his apartment and fixates on watching her modeling tape. His escalating fixation deepens the threat he poses.

Exhibition day miscommunication

On the day of the Met’s Japanese art exhibition, Maddy has a friend tell Kinsky she’s out of town and to return her modeling tapes. Buddy confirms the same to Kinsky, and he leaves an ominous message on her answering machine. He later visits his family's home to show it to prospective buyers, insisting it is not for sale.

Abduction and tattoos begin

Back in Maddy's apartment, she boots Buddy and his band out, but Kinsky blindsides her with a chloroform-soaked rag. The next morning, floral patterns begin to spread across her chest, shoulders, and back as the tattooing process commences in earnest, turning the mark into a literal prison.

The mark deepens; plan to kill

As tattooing progresses, Maddy is forced to masturbate while Kinsky watches from another room, and he orgasms as she begins to weep. She finds a shard of glass and contemplates killing him, but is discovered, and he continues to expand the tattoos over her body to tighten his control. The scene amplifies the sense of entrapment and resistance.