Ouroboros Review

Reviewed by Marcus K. Dowling  on  3/4/2020

Though most pornographic films showcase sex that lasts a half-hour, let's be frank, here. Most of our average sexual encounters are intended to be that long, but rather fall into the realm of being about ten minutes in length. Accepting this reality makes "Ouroboros," Dwam's recently released and critically-acclaimed nine-minute feature, possibly more completely relatable than it is intensely entertaining.

The idea of fluid sexual power dynamics between three persons of different genders is explored here. What ensues is sex presented as a physical exercise or more sex-as-an intense mixed martial art. Sex here is a threesome colored by hard penetration, edgeplay, rough body action, and yes, a profound release from all parties involved. Described by Vespéral as "triangular reciprocality of sexual push and pull, rough and tender threesome, fighting, playing, switching," it's yes, a film that defies even traditional modes of language in description.

"Ouroboros" opens with a tight spinning camera shot of each of our three protagonists lying on their backs on a burgundy carpet with paisley designs. There's something so classically timeless and decadent about it all that relaxes the viewer. This ideal is "The Devil In Miss Jones," this is "Lady Chatterley's Lover," this is the idyllic scenario in the dimly lit study or bedroom where epic kink ensues. What transpires is shot similarly to those scenes, but in advancing our mental and visual expectations of what can potentially occur in this setting, it's a captivating watch.

This film all starts tenderly, almost humorously, with a triple kiss. The MTV Jersey Shore throwback is rudely disrupted as Bishop Black shoves down Dwan. The scene skips to a moment presumably soon after that where Dwan is making out with Dante Dionys, while Bishop Black has his right foot squarely on Dante's left cheek. Bishop follows this, then having Dante in a rear-naked choke (while nude, no less). The first minute (yes, the first minute) of the film ends with Bishop dominating Dwan by scissoring her legs and spanking her as she makes out with Dante. Yes, there are numerous amazing male dom moments in erotic film. But there's something about a Black man in a dark room pleasurably assaulting two white submissives that invites intrigue. It's an epic moment in both the annals of sexual pleasure and interracial relations.

The moment wherein both Bishop Black and Dante Dionys engage in a struggle over servicing Dwan's vagina is also notable. It's an actual fight for someone else's pleasure before their own. The levels of depraved submissiveness here are either very arousing or deeply concerning, depending on your level of awareness of your kinks. The fact that this occurs after just two minutes of run time is fascinating as well, like the fact that you've just borne witness to extreme male/female domination and male/male domination just prior makes it so much more intriguing.

The fascinating notion of this entire film-as-erotic enterprise is noting how the actors as bodies seem to melt into a human ouroboros. The only comparative for something so depraved and potentially gross would be some mix-match of "Caligula"-meets-"Human Centipede." The conceptual notion is based in every gang-bang-blow-bang-fuck-suck-dom-sub-cum fest, but as previously noted, this film extends that notion into something more. This one is personal. This one is tenderly inhumane and deeply personal in every way. It develops a contraction in arousal and delivers with results that are driven by both contradiction and a need for your sexual release.

Again, this film-as-fight is only nine-minutes long. But in teaching the viewer so very much about their needs, desires, and ultimately lack of limits when it comes to sexual desire, it is an overwhelming success on multiple levels and definitions of the phrase.

Check out Ouroboros on PinkLabel.TV