In Skin 11: Unbound, director Toshi Gold has fashioned a fascinating, gorgeous, sensual departure from the previous titles in the Skin series.  While earlier editions were more focused on the strictly sexual aspects of the S&M lifestyle, this video is intent on exploring the psychology, on trying to let the viewer experience what goes on the mind of a submissive woman who might just be in over her head.

The plot here is as insubstantial as cotton candy, but not nearly so sweet.  Toni James plays a successful young recording star who's being drawn into the eleaborate rubber-and-latex-clad fantasy world she's constructed for herself.  She dreams of being safely bound, of escaping the pressures and concerns o a demanding life by surrendering herself to the control and dominance of others.  She gets her wish when her boyfriend and manager place her in the care of The Mistress, played very convincingly by the aloof and elusive Nikita.

What follows is an essentially unbroken montage of James' fulfillment of her fantasies.  The next ninety minutes are like a feverish, erotic ton-poem built on a narrative of dominance, submission and sex.  James is taken again and again by the other slaves at The Chateau, and is eventually forced to serve the mistresses, which she willingly does.

Several elements set this tape apart from its predecessors: Most of the other Skin tapes were merely toned-down versions of existing European features, re-packaged and reconstituted for American audiences.  And whil most of these tapes were excellent, there was never a true sense of them being part of a series.  Unbound has a strong sense of identity, and is thematically structured to stand alone, while still being an identifiable member of the Skin family.

Also unique to Unbound is the stylized, beatific photography, and the truly fantastic music.  Not only is this feature fascinating and hot, it's sumtuous to look at, and comparisons to Philip Mond's Zazel or Andrew Blake's House of Dreams are well-earned.

With the stylized storyline providing scenes that flow like a river, one into the next, it's hard to isolate any one moment for comment; still, there are certain moments that really grab your attention.  Early in the video, Frank Towers makes his pretty brunette slave, played by the sultry Stephanie Swift, crawl for his attention. It's hard to believe that Swift could ever look better than she does garbed in skintight black rubber, especially when sitting astride a hard cock with a look of orgasmic delight on her face.  Also notable is the Alyssum Love/Mickey G./Timber trio that climaxes with Mickey pulling out of Timber's ass to come in Love's waiting mouth.

From a box cover so captivating it belongs in a frame, to the nearly-flawless blend of performers, content and production, this is a real gem.  Skin 11 is as much a finely-crafted erotic work of art as it is a hot, nasty slice of the S&M lifestyle.