Dry exploration of female sexuality
When Variety was released, the Los Angeles Times dubbed it "a daring departure into the dark, obsessional world of female fantasy", but for the life of me I cannot understand why. The concept at the base of the film is certainly worth exploring. A young, average female (Christine, played by Sandy McLeod who has more credits as a script supervisor than as an actress) living in New York begins working at a ticket booth of a pornography theater out of desperation for rent money. (There's even the standard annoying message on her machine that her check for the month has bounced.) She slowly discovers a taboo sexual need in herself to participate in what she sees on screen.
This would have been a mesmerizing experience if the actual plot and character development had been as provoking as the premise. (Of course, this was made in the early to mid 1980's so I guess there has to be some credit due as the film actually got distribution.) I am all for showing female characters who enjoy sex in any given film, if only to accentuate that women enjoy it as much as men. In that way, this film is daring. It is a subject rarely broached in the entertainment industry unless the characters are prostitutes, used as a moralistic plot device, or their sexuality is in direction reaction to their male counterpart on camera. The idea of exploring female sexuality for its sake alone is the one facet I respected in this film, besides some of the acting.
However, Christine's growing obsession with her own sexuality is evinced in extremely monotonous plot routes and numerous extensive observational camera shots from her point of view when there is nothing to watch. For some unexplainable reason, Christine attaches herself to one of the customers, Louie, who had taken her to a baseball game but had to leave her in the middle due to important business. Louie is a balding, middle-aged man who briefly but pleasantly pursues her. The script spends an immensely draining amount of time watching her spy on him. Not only do we not learn anything about him during these painfully never-ending experiences, but it was also the least interesting and longest extended factor of her continuing sexual maturity. I guess it's fairly interesting that she would set her loins one someone who isn't handsome and who is definitely too old for her, but I wish they had done something more interesting with it.
Latest Articles