Recently I received a review copy of “,” an explicit erotic film documenting the lovemaking – and love story – of Bill and Desiree, an attractive, engaging couple in their 50′s.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this DVD to be honest. It was my first time watching a Comstock Films erotic documentary, and while I have a great appreciation for the art of expressing subtlety and intimacy in erotic video I wasn’t sure that I was the right person to review a portrait of real sex and intimacy between an older couple.
Score one for discovering latent preconceptions and score two for blowing them out of the water.
It was the humor that drew me in, the humor and their personalities. (I laughed out loud at Bill’s retelling of his admiration for Desiree’s “perfect” pussy. And then, having seen it, had to agree.) They’re a naturally funny and charming couple – I found myself thinking how fun it would be to have them over for dinner, drinks and poker. Or go hiking. Bill and Desiree are very enthusiastic people – about their community, about nature, about art, about sexual exploration and about each other. It’s infectious and utterly endearing.
You can tell they’re in love. It’s the way she watches him when he talks, not the camera… the way he touches her shoulder casually, like she’s a part of him. There’s a sweet touch of worship in the way he speaks of her – and she radiates it back joyously. They had been dating only three weeks when strangers were asking them how long they’d been married.
At this point in the interview Bill pulled out his book – as in, one he’d written – and uttered a phrase I’d never heard in an erotic movie before: “This is actually a place where I’d like to read a poem.”
And it was a sexy poem.
The Comstocks’ filmmaking style never gets in the way of Bill and Desiree’s love story. The arousal builds slowly; cuts of love scenes are woven throughout the interview. This approach works well for relationship-oriented erotica; we get to know Bill and Desiree before we see them make love. We get to witness and understand their attraction to each other and we get to develop chemistry with them as well. A friend once told me the great weakness of erotic movies was that we’re never given the chance to find the stars sexy. We have time to see their bodies, but not to develop an attraction to their quirks and personality. Tony and Peggy Comstock give us that chance.
and this film shows the realities of sex in a relationship. Desiree and Bill talk about accepting that sometimes orgasms just aren’t going to happen but enjoying the sex anyway; they emphasise that “peak experiences are just that” but that even “boring” sleepy sex is worthwhile. It’s about sharing pleasure, staying connected.
And then it’s the quiet of the camera and their kissing, laughing and undressing… hands and smiles and the camera just glancing over their bodies, like a lover does, rendering faces and sensual movement just as visually important as genitals. The Comstocks know when to focus on Desiree’s face, on the energy of her pleasure, then back to Bill’s hand inside her natural pussy. Their sex flows back and forth, exchanges of pleasure, peaks and valleys… it’s not at all about a pop shot, it’s very unscripted. Their lovemaking flows naturally from their creative, exploratory sexual energy.
Bill going down on her dildo was a very cool scene: unexpected and sweetly kinky. It brought back happy memories of my own.
In “” the Comstocks have successfully created three things: an erotic film, a relationship documentary and an explicit love story. It’s difficult to master even one. This is not a forgettable explicit movie to be deleted after viewing. You will be aroused. You will also be affected. The words and the images of Bill and Desiree’s love scene will stay with you. You’ll watch it again, and be moved again by that same playful passion…
This is what real sex looks like. Hands clenching, faces scrunched up, unexpected orgasms… tangled up in clothes and in laughing, playful sexual energy. We’re so afraid of sex fading away when we take off our band t-shirts and put on the real world. If this tender sexual exploration is what we’re all dreading then frankly I can’t wait.
You can purchase ““