Guardami is one of the recent spate of modern European art films with hard core
content, possibly one of the better ones. It is loosely based on
the life of real Italian porn actress Moana Pozzi, who died of
cancer. The director used the story of the star and cancer to give
an inside portrait of the porn business.
A middle class woman has found the ideal occupation in adult
films, in that she loves sex and is an exhibitionist at heart. While
the job provides plenty of sex, she spends her time off with her
female lover. Then she is diagnosed with cancer, and finds herself
an outcast in the industry and at odds with her lover. During chemo,
she meets a man in the same situation, and the two become an item.
Meanwhile, she still tries to stay in the industry.
Mainstream actress Elisabetta Cavallotti took the lead role.
Cavallotti reportedly felt that this was simply too juicy a role to
pass up, and she didn't shrink from the sex scenes. In fact, she
gave a very explicit blow job, and also performed a lesbian
pas de deux with Stefania Orsola Garello. There's lots of nudity (male and female) and sex,
although there are no scenes where vaginal penetration could be
proved. Cavalotti's decision to take the role has worked for her,
jump-starting a career which had theretofore been steady but not
spectacular.
Elisabetta Cavallotti gave an outstanding performance, and I did
not find any of the sex or nudity gratuitous. Unfortunately, this
film is only available in Italian with no subtitles, and I do wish I
had been able to understand the dialogue. I found it intriguing
enough that I will watch it again if it is ever released with
English subtitles. The film has far too much graphic nudity and sex
to win over anyone opposed to that content, but presents a
fascinating portrait of the porn industry and a sensitive look at
someone dealing with cancer.
If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to
read the
explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by
our definition, a
C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs
and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:
