Christine (a fine and fearless performance by Sandy McLeod) gets a job selling tickets in a both at a Times Square porn theater. Christine experiences a sudden sexual awakening and subsequent obsession with porn.
Director Bette Gordon and writer Kathy Acker offer a thoughtful and provocative exploration of voyeurism, obsession, carnal desires, and sexual fantasies that's told from a refreshingly tasteful, intelligent, and perceptive female perspective. Moreover, Gordon and Acker deserve extra praise for neither glamourizing nor sensationalizing the basically lurid subject matter; instead said lurid subject matter is handled in an admirably straightforward and nonjudgmental manner.
In addition, there are sturdy supporting contributions from Will Patton as the amiable Mark, Richard M. Davidson as dashing businessman Louie, and Luis Guzman as jovial coworker Jose. John Waters movie regular Cookie Mueller pops up as a bar patron while Spalding Gray has a hilarious vocal cameo as an obscene phone caller. Shot in a plain documentary style by cinematographers Tom DiCillo and John Foster, with an excellent bluesy score by John Lurie and lots of choice footage of New York City red light districts in all their gloriously seedy 80's glory, this unjustly neglected sleeper is eminently worthy of rediscovery.
Director Bette Gordon and writer Kathy Acker offer a thoughtful and provocative exploration of voyeurism, obsession, carnal desires, and sexual fantasies that's told from a refreshingly tasteful, intelligent, and perceptive female perspective. Moreover, Gordon and Acker deserve extra praise for neither glamourizing nor sensationalizing the basically lurid subject matter; instead said lurid subject matter is handled in an admirably straightforward and nonjudgmental manner.
In addition, there are sturdy supporting contributions from Will Patton as the amiable Mark, Richard M. Davidson as dashing businessman Louie, and Luis Guzman as jovial coworker Jose. John Waters movie regular Cookie Mueller pops up as a bar patron while Spalding Gray has a hilarious vocal cameo as an obscene phone caller. Shot in a plain documentary style by cinematographers Tom DiCillo and John Foster, with an excellent bluesy score by John Lurie and lots of choice footage of New York City red light districts in all their gloriously seedy 80's glory, this unjustly neglected sleeper is eminently worthy of rediscovery.