Eager and lascivious 19-year-old Katja (a winningly sweet and sincere performance by luscious Danish blonde dish Helle Louise) lusts after her handsome widower father Eric (well played by Ole Wisborg). After dear old dad rebuffs her bold advances, Katja instead loses her virginity to the studly Lars (hunky Soren Stromberg), has her first lesbian experience courtesy of her art mentor Lena (a memorably lusty Lise Henningsen) and Lena's gorgeous model lover Tanja (the stunningly beautiful Jeanette Swensson), and eventually seduces her attractive and sympathetic new stepmother Svea Karlson (a splendidly sultry portrayal by Gio Petre). Writer/director Joe Sarno delivers one of his customary frank, honest and intelligent psychological cinematic treatments of sex and human desire; the touchy subject of incest in particular is handled in an admirably tasteful and thoughtful manner. Moreover, the steamy sex scenes are genuinely erotic, but never become too raunchy or explicit. At heart this movie is a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl's emotional maturity and sexual awakening; the plot may be a tad familiar, but it's still poignant and compelling just the same thanks to uniformly fine acting from a capable cast (Louise is very impressive in her film debut) and Sarno's sure grasp of the material. Mikael Solomon's sparkling cinematography makes nice use of vibrant color and offers several artful overlapping visuals. Tony Hazzard's groovy, melodic score hits the rocking spot. A solid and moving drama.
Review of Daddy, Darling
Daddy, Darling
(1970)
A typically fine soft-core winner from the always reliable Joe Sarno
24 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers