Body Language (Studio A) Review

For people like me who enjoy Andrew Blake's recent movies, Body Language is another high-aesthetic tour de force--with a twist. To his typically artistically creative and luxurious settings, high-fashion fetishy garb, and sublimely beautiful women, Blake this time adds several explicit peeing scenes. Viewers who have not liked his recent films, whether because they find them boring, too soft-core, or overly focused on lesbian, rather than hetro sexual activity, and viewers who find peeing scenes a turn-off, will probably not enjoy Body Language. Those, like me, who think Blake is one of the great erotic filmmakers at work today, should find this another masterpiece.

Peeing seems increasingly commonplace in adult films today, whether in the guise of "squirting" or in explicit scenes often removed from sexual activity, presumably for legal reasons. Blake's movies have for years suggested peeing without showing it. The more obvious early examples can be found in "Private Property," "Paris Chic" and "Wet." More recent examples can be found in "Secret Paris" and "Hard Edge". Blake has now crossed the threshold of explicitness, prompting the question of "why now?" One answer could be a perception of a decrease in legal exposure; another that artistically he felt the time was right; still another that actors are today more willing to do such scenes. Another question is how finally showing what for so long had only been suggested will ultimatly effect the erotic impact of such scenes. Now that scenes with explicit peeing are fairly common, many of them are downright boring. Whether the erotic power of Blake’s movies will suffer or benefit from this innovation is yet to be seen—although I believe Body Language suggests the latter.

As an aside, I remember many years ago (maybe the mid or late 1990s) seeing a "behind the scenes" interview piece, in an otherwise forgettable movie, in which Blake told Marc Wallice, who was interviewing him, that he was thinking about including peeing scenes in some of his upcoming movies. His comments piqued my interest at the time since several of his already released films had very suggestive scenes along those lines and I wondered what he had in mind.

The actors in Body Language definitely measure-up to Blake's usual superb, if somewhat idiosyncratic, troupe. Paola Rey, Ginger Jolie and Justine were standouts for me, although the entire case sizzled with sensuality. (For what it is worth, past Blake stunners I’d love to see in his future films with a similar bent as Body Language, include Dahlia Gray, Sophie Evans, Anita Blonde, Adriana Sage and Kyla Cole; others I don’t think he’s worked with before I’d love to see include Tiffany Mynx, Belladonna, and Lauren Phoenix.)

In any event, I for one thoroughly enjoyed “Body Language” and hope we will see more in this vein from Blake.