I'm a huge fan of documentaries... when they're done right. How a documentary about dominatrices and fetishes could be somewhat boring takes a certain level of incompetence. But in spite of itself, this film did have its informative moments.
About 4 or 5 dominatrices from the same 'house' in Manhattan are featured. They are, supposedly, the best and most expensive in their field. I found them awkward and completely unintimidating. Scenes of them 'at work' looked like embarrassingly bad dinner theater or a high school play where the kids didn't learn their lines properly and are doing some very cringe-worthy ad libbing. None of them had a very commanding presence. They all looked like weak, underfed women to me. But the 'clients' seemed completely engaged and taken in with the scenarios or fantasies. I was amazed.
The real reason I was interested in this film was to know why anyone would pay for these services. And to Mr. Bloomfield's credit, he does have a good amount of client interviews that shed some light on that subject. I found the clients were far more varied and interesting than the rather predictable and clichéd 'mistresses'.
Mr. Broomfield maintained his distance at all times, even when he was offered a free 'session' to further his knowledge of the experience. I think he should have taken it and evolved from a vaguely judgmental voyeur to (possibly) a better film maker.
All in all, if you're into documentaries, there are loads of them much better than this. If you're curious about the world of fetishes, doms & subs, etc. give it a try but keep your expectations low. If you just want to see naked people getting spanked, there is a bit of that but, strange as it may seem, this isn't a terribly sexy documentary. In fact, most of it looks very unpleasant and anti-sexy.
About 4 or 5 dominatrices from the same 'house' in Manhattan are featured. They are, supposedly, the best and most expensive in their field. I found them awkward and completely unintimidating. Scenes of them 'at work' looked like embarrassingly bad dinner theater or a high school play where the kids didn't learn their lines properly and are doing some very cringe-worthy ad libbing. None of them had a very commanding presence. They all looked like weak, underfed women to me. But the 'clients' seemed completely engaged and taken in with the scenarios or fantasies. I was amazed.
The real reason I was interested in this film was to know why anyone would pay for these services. And to Mr. Bloomfield's credit, he does have a good amount of client interviews that shed some light on that subject. I found the clients were far more varied and interesting than the rather predictable and clichéd 'mistresses'.
Mr. Broomfield maintained his distance at all times, even when he was offered a free 'session' to further his knowledge of the experience. I think he should have taken it and evolved from a vaguely judgmental voyeur to (possibly) a better film maker.
All in all, if you're into documentaries, there are loads of them much better than this. If you're curious about the world of fetishes, doms & subs, etc. give it a try but keep your expectations low. If you just want to see naked people getting spanked, there is a bit of that but, strange as it may seem, this isn't a terribly sexy documentary. In fact, most of it looks very unpleasant and anti-sexy.