anharmyenone

Thought-provoking and emotionally affecting, at times sweet, at times disturbing, this is one of my favorites of all time. The soundtrack is outstanding and pulls you in. The screenplay and acting are among the best for an explicit film. The emotional impact of this film is right up there with "Story of Joanna", "Devil in Miss Jones", and "Water Power". Harry Reems is surprisingly good here and the female lead, Shawn Harris is outstanding. Too bad she did not do more films. She had the looks and enough talent that she could have worked in mainstream B movies. Oh well I guess she found something else to do with here life. Jamie Gillis has a minor role as a bad guy. Too bad we couldn't have seen more of him as he is the best actor working in this genre at the time the film was made.

I'm glad I saw it. There are life lessons about love, sex, art, pleasure, honesty, and denial here. Radley Metzger at his best is a very honest and true-to-life filmmaker. Even when he's being surreal and throwing illusions at you like in "The Lickerish Quartet" he's being brutally honest and teaching you something about yourself and about life. Neither prudish, nor libertine, just honest, Metzger artistically explored the areas of life that other filmmakers either avoided or treated with juvenile snickering attitudes. Of course he was a businessman too and his choice of subject matter was no doubt shaped in part by what was commercially viable, but he was also a brave and dedicated craftsman who helps us still to understand and grow wiser. The emotional impact of this film is not unlike "Therese and Isabell", though the eye candy in this film makes it an easier viewing experience. Not all of Metzger's films hold up today, but this is one that does.

This film is one of my favorites. It's funny, touching, romantic, and pulls you in. It's a light, but well written story about a clash between a young woman who is a free spirit and her sister's mother in law who has lots of strict rules. Well written and believable characters and good conflict. Sometimes funny, sometimes serious. The musical numbers are imaginative, though the songs are not the best. The characters drive the story and keep you interested. You care what happens to them. I wish they had made a sequel because I want to see more of these characters and find out what happens next.