Descriptions of It's Nothing Mama, It's Just a Game (or Beyond Erotica) often mention the woman hunting aspect. While this is the most memorable section, the film is better described as a family Gothic.
On a struggling plantation in Venezuela, a family runs a business butchering rabbits. The oddball son, Juan (a miscast David Hemmings), has taken it into his head to take a female worker, dress her in rabbit ears, and hunt her. This may have something to do with, as a boy, having seen his father have sex with the help or it may be because the son saw his father die in front of him. Whatever the reason, the son is a loony. His mother (Alida Valli), the matriarch of the plantation, indulges him and the film implies possible incestuous longings. The third member of the family is the dead father's brother (Francisco Rabal), an obnoxious sort but rich and much needed for the continuation of the plantation.
As the film begins, Juan is hunting one of the female workers (she is in a bunny costume of course). When the victim is caught in a trap, Juan's dogs maul her as Juan watches remembering his father's death. The family concocts a story to cover the "accident," and Juan turns his eye on his next potential victim, Lola (played by the lovely Andrea Rau). However, Lola proves a more formidable adversary.
Viewers expecting a sleazy horror film like Seven Women for Satan will be disappointed. As a thriller, It's Nothing Mama is mostly build up. True, the film does deliver on nudity (Miss Rau), some violence (mostly at the beginning and end), and plenty of anti-social behavior (Juan has to break down Lola's will). Nonetheless, the film's pacing could be described as leisurely. Also, clearly some of the film is supposed to be humorous in an off-kilter way, but the humor does not quite come off. The ironic ending could have been better handled as well.
It's Nothing Mama, It's Just a Game can probably be skipped by most. It is far from essential viewing. However, fans of Andrea Rau might want to give it a try.
