While arguably not as hot or cinematically polished as Playthings, this picture clearly demonstrates why Andrew Blake is the master of artistic erotic film.

Dahlia Grey, Blake's seductress extraordinaire, is the anchor for each sequence based on the core theme of feminine arousal. Glamorous modeling poses, solo-girl masturbation, girl/girl sex, light D/s, and boy/girl sex shot with a voyeuristic flavor are all elements that come into play. Sexy underwater footage of Grey frolicking nude is one of many motifs that, looped three or four times, actually increases in its erotic energy each time it passes across the screen.

Blake makes excellent use of lighting and filters to create appropriate moods. The meticulous casting of body shadows give Grey an alter-ego quality, and the all-too-brief use of black-and-white photography in a girl/girl exchange gives off an aura of incomparable sensuality.

Blake's films are understood by few, and a love and appreciation for his art is an acquired taste. But for those who "get it," films such as Aroused provide nothing less than two hours of pure transcendence.

Pre-noms for Blake (direction, editing, cinematography, and art direction), Grey (Best Tease Performance), and Raoul Valve (Best Music).