Pleasureland

I had the pleasure of seeing this short at the Big Muddy Film Festival in 2001, and it blew me away. I saw it twice during the festival. The film follows a guy who rents porn from the video story, only to have the tapes turn into real women with coaxial cables extending from them. One of the downsides is that his VCR is trashed after each rental, so this quickly becomes an expensive habit. Nicely shot in black and white, this film walks the very fine line between hilarious and creepy. A little bit too far one way, and it would have been too silly to take seriously. Too far the other way and it would have been difficult to watch. As is, the tone is perfect. It is not for every viewer, but if you are with the film, you will get a lot out of it.

Made in 2001, in Black and White format. Fits in the short film category. Brings us Bryan Potser (Jesus of Judson 1996), as the writer and director. The film is only 18 minutes long. And contains male nudity and some sexual situations. It stars Jacob Vaughan as the "customer" and Karen Skloss as the "clerk" at a video store in which the "customer" goes to to rent sexual videos. THe "customer" begins to notice that every time he rents these types of tapes, there is a certain person in the movie who is willing to "service" his sexual desires and needs. This film has a documentary style to it and some parts feel like a trip into virtual reality. But basically the film is delving into the cesspool that is sexual obsession. The characters are believable but the movie leaves the watcher wondering if there should have been more of an ending. A decent short film for anyone who is interested in surrealistic images and clashing genres in one movie.