After watching dozens of Jacky St. James's OK incest-themed porn vignettes I was gratified to hit pay dirt with what must be her best film to date, THE SEXUAL LIBERATION OF ANNA LEE. It's one of the most impressive new XXX films I've seen in recent years.
Story reminded me a bit of a classic that's been largely forgotten, the great Anthony Spinelli's 1971 TOUCH ME, only Jacky's is better than this Golden Age forerunner. Spinelli dealt with a Sexual Encounter Group and featured minimal explicit sex, while the new film is set in an unconventional house for treatment of sexual dysfunction and (in keeping with the times) has a maximum amount of XXX action.
Great cast stars Maddy O'Reilly in the title role, a plain-Jane who yearns to be able to express herself sexually and is advised by Dr. Sabato (director Jacky in a supporting role) to try out Variel House. The place is run by siblings India Summer & Steven St. Croix (no, despite Jacky's spate of step-brother incest movies, the two of them don't get it on here), each giving a self-assured, smooth acting performance in addition to their hardcore porn action.
She's instructed not to interact with the other patient there, Emmett (Xander Corvus), instantly building up the sexual suspense since we know they will ultimately hop in the sack. Corvus has a different hang-up: he pays for sex and wants to have no relationship at all with his partner, exemplified in a very well-directed scene with prostie Marielle (Natalia Starr), clad in fishnet outfit and blindfold as he dominates her. After his money shot he tells her "I have no need to see your face" and the sequence ends with Starr trudging away on her high heels (to her next assignment) casually discarding the blindfold on the ground.
India and Steven assign their patients daily tasks and Anna Lee is instructed to keep a video journal of her daily thoughts and progress -a nice cinematic touch that permits her p-o-v to be injected into the film. These tasks include sensory stimulation and awareness (Johnny Castle quite effective as an assistant whose body and sexual prowess contribute to Anna Lee's forward movement).
Ultimately Maddy and Xander are teamed up to make progress together, but while Anna Lee has a breakthrough, Emmett remains frustrated and ultimately leaves before his month-long treatment is completed. His parting note left for Anna Lee is succinct: "Had to bail, not my thing, Good luck..."
Setpiece of the movie is an elaborate almost ritualistic BDSM staging of India shackling blindfolded Anna Lee to a large cross contraption and the staff playing with her body, covering her in chocolate, candle wax, honey, etc. and treating her to some light s&m.
Cured, Maddy leaves Variel House with instructions that her video journal be sent to Xander to watch. Film climaxes with their reunion, powerful sex together (the release for the fans finally coming to fruition) and a slightly disappointing ending wherein Xander briefly waxes philosophically as Jacky's mouthpiece with too-florid dialog that his character Emmett would never recite.
Except for that final misstep, movie is both stimulating and emotionally resonant and indicates to me that the horrible gonzo revolution that has afflicted porn for so many years is reversible. Entire cast mentioned above rises to the occasion, and so does Jessa Rhodes as Eliza, another assistant who prompts an imaginary sex scene with St. Croix as Anna Lee is asked to think how someone else might behave in an interesting early task.
Story reminded me a bit of a classic that's been largely forgotten, the great Anthony Spinelli's 1971 TOUCH ME, only Jacky's is better than this Golden Age forerunner. Spinelli dealt with a Sexual Encounter Group and featured minimal explicit sex, while the new film is set in an unconventional house for treatment of sexual dysfunction and (in keeping with the times) has a maximum amount of XXX action.
Great cast stars Maddy O'Reilly in the title role, a plain-Jane who yearns to be able to express herself sexually and is advised by Dr. Sabato (director Jacky in a supporting role) to try out Variel House. The place is run by siblings India Summer & Steven St. Croix (no, despite Jacky's spate of step-brother incest movies, the two of them don't get it on here), each giving a self-assured, smooth acting performance in addition to their hardcore porn action.
She's instructed not to interact with the other patient there, Emmett (Xander Corvus), instantly building up the sexual suspense since we know they will ultimately hop in the sack. Corvus has a different hang-up: he pays for sex and wants to have no relationship at all with his partner, exemplified in a very well-directed scene with prostie Marielle (Natalia Starr), clad in fishnet outfit and blindfold as he dominates her. After his money shot he tells her "I have no need to see your face" and the sequence ends with Starr trudging away on her high heels (to her next assignment) casually discarding the blindfold on the ground.
India and Steven assign their patients daily tasks and Anna Lee is instructed to keep a video journal of her daily thoughts and progress -a nice cinematic touch that permits her p-o-v to be injected into the film. These tasks include sensory stimulation and awareness (Johnny Castle quite effective as an assistant whose body and sexual prowess contribute to Anna Lee's forward movement).
Ultimately Maddy and Xander are teamed up to make progress together, but while Anna Lee has a breakthrough, Emmett remains frustrated and ultimately leaves before his month-long treatment is completed. His parting note left for Anna Lee is succinct: "Had to bail, not my thing, Good luck..."
Setpiece of the movie is an elaborate almost ritualistic BDSM staging of India shackling blindfolded Anna Lee to a large cross contraption and the staff playing with her body, covering her in chocolate, candle wax, honey, etc. and treating her to some light s&m.
Cured, Maddy leaves Variel House with instructions that her video journal be sent to Xander to watch. Film climaxes with their reunion, powerful sex together (the release for the fans finally coming to fruition) and a slightly disappointing ending wherein Xander briefly waxes philosophically as Jacky's mouthpiece with too-florid dialog that his character Emmett would never recite.
Except for that final misstep, movie is both stimulating and emotionally resonant and indicates to me that the horrible gonzo revolution that has afflicted porn for so many years is reversible. Entire cast mentioned above rises to the occasion, and so does Jessa Rhodes as Eliza, another assistant who prompts an imaginary sex scene with St. Croix as Anna Lee is asked to think how someone else might behave in an interesting early task.