Café Flesh

For those who can get their minds to accept hard-core porn, this film is definitely a must-see. Set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future, the people are split into two types: Sex-Negatives who make up ninety nine per cent of the population and Sex-Positives who are the other one per cent. The Sex-Negatives are violently sick if they engage in sexual activity and it is compulsory for the Sex-Positives to put on a sex-show in establishments such as Café Flesh.

The sex acts, or tableaux, are surreal in themselves: a giant rat and cannibalistic babies and a pencil-headed boss just to give you a flavour of the utter weirdness of it all. All this and more accompanied by a deranged musical sound track but it is the characters who really make the film.

All the characters are grotesque in their own way; but maybe not Angel the virgin who is the new star turn for obvious reasons. The real standout grotesque performance has got to be Max Melodramatic (Andy Nichols) the merciless mocking compere whose mockery of the Sex-Negatives knows no bounds. His performance alone makes this film the classic that it is. Even if you not keen on hard-core porn, this is one film that you should see.

For all of those people out there who whine about lack of plot in porn, here's the film for you. Set in a post-punk, post-apocalyptic American wasteland where the survivors are divided into two groups -- sex positives and sex negatives. The positives are "forced" to perform live sex cabaret shows at various Cafes. The negatives watch, unable to perform. This black comedy benefits from a great script by Jerry ("Permanent Midnight") Stahl and superb direction from Rinse Dream. You haven't lived until you see the bizarre cabaret skits and musical set-ups. Truly inventive stuff here, despite its low budget.

This film manages to do a rare thing; we get treated to some great sex scenes, and the story surrounding the sex actually verges on intelligent! Director Stephen Sayadian's art house erotica may struggle to find an audience; art house fans will probably find it too trashy, while porn fans may find it too arty; but for anyone who likes something a bit different; Cafe Flesh is a definite must see. The film's back-story focuses on a nuclear war that has had a bizarre effect on the surviving citizens. The remaining population has been split into two halves; the sex negatives who become nauseous if they engage in sex, and the sex positives; who remain normal. We focus on Cafe Flesh; a club where sex negatives go to watch the sex positives perform various sex acts on stage. We follow a small group of sex negatives inside the club. The club has been elevated by the news of the forthcoming arrival of the famous sex positive Johnny Rico, while one of the negatives begins to question her status as her and her boyfriend grow further apart from one another.

The thing I liked about this film most is undoubtedly the atmosphere; director Stephen Sayadian takes care to ensure that the club's atmosphere is as seedy as possible, and while helping the sex scenes; it also helps the film to enforce the dismal vision of the future. The sex scenes themselves are all staged and very diverse, which ensures the film doesn't get lost under too many samey sex scenes. The music used during these scenes is a real highlight and arguably even makes the film. The film doesn't really seem to have a particular point to make; and while the sex scenes are just the acts on stage, I do think that they are the main point of the film. The storyline between some of the main characters is decent, however, and the film does actually make the audience care about what happens. The ending does seem to be rather rushed, however, and really reinforces that the film doesn't have a particular point to make. However, this film is still undoubtedly one of the best porn films out there and it's definitely worth a look. Recommended.

"Café Flesh" from 1982, directed by Stephen Sayadian (under the pseudonym Ragnar), is a film that defies convention and, for those with an open mind, offers a surprisingly profound and artistic cinematic experience. Far from being a mere adult film, "Café Flesh" is a bold and visionary work that deserves analysis beyond its explicit surface.

The film transports us to a post-apocalyptic future where a virus has stripped most of humanity of their capacity for physical pleasure, leaving them as "negatives". Only a few "positives" can still feel, and for them, the Café Flesh has been created-a theatre where they perform sexual acts for the entertainment of the negatives, who observe with a mixture of envy and repulsion.

A Striking Visual Feast: What sets "Café Flesh" apart is its striking visual aesthetic and audacious artistic direction. The cinematography is raw and stylised, using saturated colours and theatrical lighting to craft a dreamlike and unsettling atmosphere. Every frame is meticulously composed, evoking a sense of decay and despair, yet also a strange beauty. The costume and make-up designs are equally imaginative, transforming the actors into almost mythical figures within this dystopian world.

A Profound Allegory: Beyond the visuals, the film serves as a powerful allegory for art, desire, and human connection. Through its characters, "Café Flesh" explores the nature of performance and voyeurism, questioning what it means to feel and what it means to create art in a world that has lost its capacity for intimacy. The explicit acts aren't gratuitous; they serve as a means to delve into deeper themes of sexuality, alienation, and the search for meaning in a desolate world. The film suggests that even in the grimmest circumstances, artistic expression and the pursuit of emotional connection persist.

A Must-See for the Open-Minded: While its explicit nature might not appeal to everyone, "Café Flesh" is a fascinating example of experimental cinema that dares to be both provocative and thoughtful in equal measure. For those seeking a cinematic experience that goes beyond the conventional and is willing to challenge their perceptions, this cult film offers a unique and memorable vision. It's a work that stays with you long after the credits roll, prompting reflection on art, the body, and the soul.

In the aftermath of a nuclear war, the majority of the population are 'sex negatives', unable to make love, becoming violently sick should they try. Those that can still 'do it' - the sex positives - are forced to perform on stage in special clubs for the entertainment of the negatives. One of these clubs, Café Flesh, plays host to famous sex positive Johnny Rico* (Kevin James) whose sexual prowess stirs feelings in supposed sex negative Lana (Pia Snow AKA scream queen Michelle Bauer).

Café Flesh might be porn, but it's still a film that any self-respecting fan of crazy cult oddities should see. A new-wave post-apocalyptic arthouse adult movie, it presents sex as avant-garde performance art, making it a bizarre yet strangely compelling experience. And at the risk of alienating its target audience, it also works as an allegory of the frustration felt by those who can only get their kicks from watching hardcore movies.

Hosted by the enigmatic Max Melodramatic (Andy Nichols), the stage shows at Café Flesh are the film's highlights, not because of their XXX content, but because they are so incredibly surreal, the performers dressed in strange costumes, moving robotically to electronic/industrial/jazz music by Mitchell Froom (Vonda Shepard's husband).

The first act sees a man dressed as a rat seeing to a sexy lady while three men dressed as babies in highchairs move rhythmically in the background. The next performance has a guy with a giant pencil for a head going at it with his co-star while a naked secretary bashes away at a typewriter, repeating the line "Do you want me to type a memo?". Another scene features a couple of women in military outfits become well-acquainted with each other's nether regions, and the penultimate act -- the debut for sex positive virgin Angel (Marie Sharp) -- has arms poking through the stage floor, clicking their fingers while two men in telephone masks (?!?!) break in the newbie.

Johnny Rico's act is probably the least extravagant, the star of the evening only requiring a bed as his prop (what a pro!), the stud luring Lana from the audience to join in the fun, much to the annoyance of her sex negative husband Nick (Paul McGibboney), who is destined to see his wife as a regular performer at Café Flesh.

8/10. An unreal experience quite unlike any other.

*NOT to be confused with Johnnie Rico from Starship Troopers (Kevin James is a better actor than Casper Van Dien).