Joe Sarno was a special and talented filmmaker, and his erotic films were always a cut above the general run of such fare in the 60s and 70s. "Confessions of a Young American Housewife" is the story of a young wife, her husband, and her swinger friends. When the young woman's mother comes to visit, her introduction to their sexual ways becomes the movies main focus. Sarno manages to elicit a rough dignity from his actors, and the characters are more than pieces of meat. The final scene is surprisingly touching: early in the film I disliked the characters for their lifestyle, and by the end I had come to see they were not the emotionally shallow people I had taken them to be. If you are one of those dismal unfortunates who watch HBO and Showtime garbage like True Blood and Tell Me You Love Me to spice up your flaccid middle-aged sex lives, then you will be unable to appreciate this film. For the rest of you with taste, check it out.
