Ms Naughty of Porn for Women Blog says the only commercial porn movie I’ve had the patience to watch in years, Jennifer Lyon Bell’s Matinee
In Berlin last year I had the honour of meeting Jennifer Lyon Bell, an American filmmaker with a compelling vision for erotic film. Her film Matinee is a gorgeous work of art, well written, masterfully acted and beautifully filmed. It is a wonderful addition to the growing canon of well-made, female-focused erotic films and I consider it to be part of the new wave of sex-positive movies that are forging a new path in porn.
Naturally this means the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification has banned it.
As I mentioned in my review (I saw it at the Sex 2.0 conference last spring) I had pretty much the same impression of the film. Ms Naughty quotes Bell and her backers as saying that was exactly what she was trying to convey
It’s just two characters enjoying sex in a realistic way that fits with their characters’ personalities. Consensual sex, nothing weird. Why on earth would that be dangerous to watch?
And, seriously, I don’t see how there’s anything possibly offensive or objectionable to the movie except that a) it has direct sex in it and b) the female partner leads the entire way from the first kiss to rousing him to erection to unwrapping and putting on the condom to insertion. Oh, and c) there’s nothing daring or defiant or “gender-bendery” or “toppish” about her actions, nor anything inconsistent with what any two heterosexual lovers might do when they’re both a bit melancholy about their circumstances and are used to finding emotional connection and comfort in sex.
On the other hand that might indeed be the offensive part. Final quote from Ms Naughty:
The organisers rightly point out that the OFLC didn’t have a problem with Lars Van Trier’s Antichrist, which disturbingly depicts a scene of female genital mutilation and seems to be misogynist in intent. Jen’s film, which only shows two people having nuanced, meaningful, tender sex, is apparently more offensive than that.
Not sure what to say here. Violently injuring genitals is ok. Romantic sex heterosexual sex not so much.
Incidentally the OFLC also banned two Tony Comstock’s films about romantic homosexual sex. He and everyone else assumed they were balking at the homosexuality part. Starting to sound like it’s the romance part they can’t handle.
$%!*#@!!!
Submitted by 3164 (not verified) on Mon, 2009-08-31 17:57.
Insane making this nonsense is! And completely inconsistent application of the powers of the OFLC to grant or not grant an exemption from classification to screen at a festival. At least two of the Pink and White Production films have screened here which is great for them but shows how random the system is... So do you agitate, and bring this to the attention of the OFLC, in which case, will they come down harder and scrutinise ever more closely? - it's a stinky situation for sure.