Fetishes (1996)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Nick Broomfield

Writer:

Nick Broomfield (writer)

Release Date:

9 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

For two weeks, Nick Broomfield and a documentary crew visit Pandora's Box, an up-scale house of bondage on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue...

Plot Keywords:

Masochism | Manhattan | Infantilism | Bondage | Wrestling

Cast

Mistress Beatrice
Nick Broomfield	...	Himself - Interviewer
Mistress Catherine
Mistress Delilah
Mistress Natasha
Mistress Raven
Elissa Wald	...	Herself / Client (as Jessie)

Runtime:

USA:84 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Lafayette Films

Trivia:

This film was originally made as part of HBO's "America Undercover" (1993) series, but released theatrically the following year.

Movie Connections:

References Teaserama (1955)

Interesting enough, but never probes too deep

I can't really say that the idea of fetishes appeals to me too much - my 'knowledge' of S&M before seeing this film has mostly come from the 'trash' cinema that I enjoy watching. I've got to say that this film didn't particularly teach me anything about the scene and the people that enjoy being dominated by 'superior' women that I didn't already know, but established documentary maker Nick Broomfield's look behind usually closed doors makes for enjoyable viewing, even if it isn't particularly insightful or informative. The film focuses on New York fetish club 'Pandora's Box', and we watch as Broomfield films various sessions with the mistresses and their clients. These range from rather tame whippings to more obscure sessions involving concentration camp domination and 'infantilism'. Nick Broomfield's approach is very objective, and he films everything without ever making a stance on what he's seeing. Even his voice is very cold and lifeless, and it doesn't always make for compelling viewing. Ironically, the most interesting thing about this movie is not the filming involving S&M acts, but rather the insight into the dominatrix's lives and their thoughts on their jobs. One of the mistresses, a woman who calls herself 'Mistress Raven' brings up a good point during the film about the director making a documentary about a subject he himself has never experienced, and that pretty much sums it all up. This film is interesting for the most part, but Broomfield's closed mind unwillingness to partake in the acts that he's filming ensure that this is more of an expose than an analysis. Still, it's something of an eye opener, although people that are interested in this topic won't find out anything new, and those that aren't interested in it are likely to find out that S&M is, in fact, not all that fascinating.