Freddy (Wade Radford) responds to an advertisement plastered onto his bathroom mirror, calling up the voluptuous blonde on the poster. Her name is Lustful (Kaz B), and he invites her to house that afternoon.
Soon afterwards, Lustful turns up at his front door. It's apparent from the off that she's a prostitute - a very upfront one at that. What's not so apparent at first is that Freddy's mental state is, well, in a bit of a state.
Lustful swiftly learns this though as Freddy invites her into his living room and throws her violently onto a chair. She's understandably disconcerted and makes a dash for the front door. Curbing her, Freddy insists that he's paid his money - this is true, we saw him do it - and so expects to be serviced. The comely blonde obliges by way of an impromptu blowjob which leaves her with cum dripping from the corner of her mouth.
You may think Freddy is now satisfied. But no, he drags Lustful back into the living room and gives her a couple of smacks before forcing her to crawl towards him on all fours. "I've been with some cunts in my time, but you go straight to the top of the fucking list!" she retorts.
She realises she's gotten herself into a vulnerable situation with a volatile customer, but Lustful also recognises the tell-tale signs of Freddy being a self-harmer. Her mother was one too. And so, she warms to the idea of staying with him a little longer and earning what I assume was quite a handsome pay packet.
A post-coital conversation between the pair later in the evening reveals more about Freddy's messed-up past, explaining to a large degree the reasons for his erratic, sporadically erratic behaviour.
From that point on, Lustful clearly feels a little more at ease with her odd punter and decides to stay longer. Big mistake...
The latest offering from prolific filmic pairing Jason Impey and Wade Radford, LUSTFUL DESIRES is a 20-minute film that really is the definition of micro-budget filmmaking. The house interior setting is the film's single location; Radford and B are the only cast members; there's no music; the only crew are writer-producer-editor-director Impey on camera and his wife Sharon providing the make-up.
The limited resources don't harm the drama any: the small cast convey their roles well and the set-up is established quickly enough to ensure the viewer wants to stick around for the grisly conclusion.
For Impey, this marks a return to darker territory after his forays into more urban-concerned dramas. It's not full-on horror a la SICK BASTARD but it does have a sinister edge which definitely flirts with the genre from the start. He's clearly enjoying the freedom this gives him too, with the use of colour-filtered lighting and imaginative camera angles lending a stylish bent to the otherwise gritty action.
Radford plays it straight and pulls the performance off well; B is sexy and sassy in equal measures, a feisty working girl who convinces as someone who's used to dealing with shit. She's also very pleasing on the eye, as she gets semi-naked later into proceedings. And the totally gratuitous scene of her masturbating on Freddy's settee is undoubtedly the exploitative highlight of the film.
The language is typically Impey/Radford - "are you some kind of fucked up schizo cunt?", that type of thing. Very working class British, which I mean in the most respectful way: I love it.
I was a tad perplexed as to why Lustful would stick around for so long - and even get herself comfortable enough to have a sly wank while her John is puffing on a ciggie outside - but, who knows ... perhaps I should think less about the logic and more about the agreeable nature of such a scene.
LUSTFUL DESIRES feels experimental in the sense that it comes across as a stopgap for Impey and Radford. It tells a simple story in a satisfyingly tight manner, looks good and exercises their collective skills - writing, photography, acting. B is a good find, too. But I get the impression this is the equivalent of a "dress rehearsal" for something bigger and better. I certainly hope so, as I'd welcome that.
For more information on this film and others, visit www.jasonimpey.co.uk.
Review by Stuart Willis
| Directed by Jason Impey |
| Not Rated |