I think this movie speaks more with emotion and imagery than with words to convey an important message about freedom through sexual liberation. The film starts by showing the main character, Julia, engaging in lesbian sexual exploration with another young person from her community. She is discovered and chastised for her sins, after which her presence is no longer tolerated by some of the other Christian women. Thus, she is swiftly arranged a marriage to a devout man, who refuses to show intimacy until their union is blessed by a priest. Their wedding night reveals her husband's hypocritic lust that is now sanctioned by the church. A cruel irony is revealed when Julia attempts to gain her own satisfaction within their marriage, she is cast aside by her husband and relegated to labor in the kitchen. Her emotions of shamefulness and sadness are apparent throughout the ordeal. This is starkly contrasted to her elation when she embraces natural sexual activities in her relationships outside of the church.
A parallel plot develops alongside Julia's strife, in which an artist is commissioned to create a painting for a brothel. The artist is constantly frustrated with his work because he lacks a sufficient nude model for inspiration. Julia's friend, from her first sexual encounter, had been modeling for the painter and suggests that Julia would fit the role. When Julia finally returns back to the community from her lackluster marriage, she quickly finds happiness and fulfillment by modeling, and she forms more natural sexual relationships with other men and women at the art studio.
This movie really shines for its stunning cinematic capture of human sexuality in natural settings, and the unapologetic way that it does so. It portrays a wholesome story of a young woman finding her place in the world through sexual liberation, which is a message that many can relate to. This movie also stands out in the category of cinema with a sexual tone because it was shot with modern high definition cameras. While many films that also attempt to portray uncensored human sexuality were made in the 20th century on a low budget, this movie at least benefits from recent camera technology. This movie is also unique in that the more explicit scenes don't feel out of place, compared to some other sexually explicit movies, e.g. Tinto Brass films. They feel like they have a reason for existing other than simply displaying explicit content - that is - they visually portray the emotions felt by the main character, which is central to the message of the story.
The shortcomings of this movie are highlighted by other reviewers, so I will just to name a couple that stood out to me: the acting is often less than convincing and this movie may not have exemplary dialogue. For those reasons, I have taken off a star, but this movie receives leniency from me because of its aforementioned unique qualities, and because I personally resonate with the message it conveys.
Overall, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates natural beauty and who is interested in themes surrounding human sexual expression and attitudes towards it. If you enjoyed this movie then you may also like the Dutch movie LelleBelle (2010), which focuses on some of the same themes in a shameless and uncensored way.
A parallel plot develops alongside Julia's strife, in which an artist is commissioned to create a painting for a brothel. The artist is constantly frustrated with his work because he lacks a sufficient nude model for inspiration. Julia's friend, from her first sexual encounter, had been modeling for the painter and suggests that Julia would fit the role. When Julia finally returns back to the community from her lackluster marriage, she quickly finds happiness and fulfillment by modeling, and she forms more natural sexual relationships with other men and women at the art studio.
This movie really shines for its stunning cinematic capture of human sexuality in natural settings, and the unapologetic way that it does so. It portrays a wholesome story of a young woman finding her place in the world through sexual liberation, which is a message that many can relate to. This movie also stands out in the category of cinema with a sexual tone because it was shot with modern high definition cameras. While many films that also attempt to portray uncensored human sexuality were made in the 20th century on a low budget, this movie at least benefits from recent camera technology. This movie is also unique in that the more explicit scenes don't feel out of place, compared to some other sexually explicit movies, e.g. Tinto Brass films. They feel like they have a reason for existing other than simply displaying explicit content - that is - they visually portray the emotions felt by the main character, which is central to the message of the story.
The shortcomings of this movie are highlighted by other reviewers, so I will just to name a couple that stood out to me: the acting is often less than convincing and this movie may not have exemplary dialogue. For those reasons, I have taken off a star, but this movie receives leniency from me because of its aforementioned unique qualities, and because I personally resonate with the message it conveys.
Overall, I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates natural beauty and who is interested in themes surrounding human sexual expression and attitudes towards it. If you enjoyed this movie then you may also like the Dutch movie LelleBelle (2010), which focuses on some of the same themes in a shameless and uncensored way.