Released | Aug 21st, 2017 |
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Running Time | 120 Min. |
Director | Kayden Kross |
Company | Trenchcoatx.com |
Distribution Company | Jules Jordan Video |
Cast | Manuel Ferrara, Sean Michaels, Ana Foxxx, Valentina Nappi, Eva Lovia, Karlee Grey, Elsa Jean, Jay Savage |
Critical Rating | AAAA 1/2 |
Mainstream journalists looking for a soundbite on “ethical porn” often turn to performer/director Kayden Kross. And if they were to look for a visual component to exemplify the growing genre, they need look no further than Sun-Lit, the first DVD released by director Kross and her Trenchcoatx imprint under a distribution agreement with Jules Jordan Video.
This is a visually stunning collection of four scenes, each tied together by the predominance of sunlight playing over naturally beautiful bodies. But it’s much more than that. The scenes also belong together for the richness and variety of the feelings they evoke. The first scene, featuring Valentina Nappi and Jay Savage engaged in a bout of morning sex with the window wide open to let in the sun’s rays, appeals to the voyeur in all of us, but also is a feel-good dose of playfulness and affection.
That’s followed up by a montage-rich vignette that tells the ups and downs of a relationship. Eva Lovia and Manuel Ferrara are passionate lovers who quarrel, part and then reignite the flame—all wordlessly played out with an evocative score that sounds like something you’d hear emanating from the window of a struggling musician in one of L.A.’s boho enclaves.
In fact, there’s a boho vibe to all the vignettes. It feels like one could encounter these people while strolling through a sunlit Los Angeles neighborhood. And what we find by peeking into their windows is thoroughly enticing. Lovers Ana Foxxx and Sean Michaels tease each other with Foxxx’s fantasy about bringing a girl home. Their imaginations conjure up Elsa Jean—but though this is a mixed-race grouping, don’t expect IR stereotypes. (When Michaels asks, “What was she like?” Foxxx says, “Unique.” Michaels responds, “Like you.”)
The final pairing falls within the narrative of the second scene, and it’s also emotionally complex. But its aura of sadness doesn’t eclipse the pleasure in watching Ferrara with his other lover, Karlee Grey—two sexual animals who know how to please each other.
For those who want to know what ethical porn looks like, this is a solid example. It looks like life, like love—like art. So why do we need porn in addition to other forms of entertainment? Because we’re all voyeurs—and our neighbors do not look nearly as good naked as these stunning couples.