The Session

As Zalman King has proved time & again, when softcore pornography becomes pretentious it also becomes unwatchable. Case in point is THE SESSION, issued on DVD-R by Something Weird with the phony and misleading title 3 ON A WATERBED.

As SWV presenter Frank Henenlotter points out, there are only two cast members in the entire film, so the title is bogus. IMDb insists it is Adult & Hardcore, but this is strictly softcore junk, styled as a two-hander play on film.

Egotistical movie star Allan Burton (very poorly acted by anonymous "Brandon Scott") is rehearsing the script for his next film. He hires prostitute Peggy (ok turn by anonymous "Regina Williams") to spend three days with him having sex, as "The Session" that is in effect a rehearsal.

This claustrophobic format is familiar in many subsequent films, notably Oshima's classic (and explicitly pornographic) IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES, and most recently in the tantalizing lesbian opus ROOM IN ROME. But the jerks who made THE SESSION have no talent, no scruples, and most importantly no respect for their audience. I'm wondering if this turkey was ever released theatrically - I doubt it.

Styled as a '70s stud (think Harry Reems), Burton is one of the most detestable characters I've ever seen dominating a movie, and I do mean dominating. He is irritable from the get-go, and bosses poor Peggy around, relentlessly, subjecting her to non-stop verbal abuse and later physical mistreatment. This probably would have played better as a XXX torture film from Phil Prince or Joe Davian, but in the softcore format is merely tedious.

As far as "Regina Williams" is concerned, the camera offers loving closeups of her body parts for the flashy opening credits sequence, but is unkind during the film proper. She's feisty enough to impress, and I wouldn't mind seeing her in a decent film -perhaps someone will match up her visage and find out who this actress really is from other screen roles. Or she could be just a one-shot stuck in a poor excuse for a movie.

As bottom-trolling Henenlotter notes, it is the ending of the film which is its calling card. I won't spoil it, but it is simultaneously shocking and cynical in the extreme. After 70 minutes of insulting the viewer with a poor movie, the filmmakers underscore their contemptuous attitude at the finish. Even Neal LaBute would find the misogyny distasteful (I hope).