This Girl's Life

There is a fascination with mainstream audiences for the forbidden world of pornography. With films such as Hardcore, Boogie Nights and Wonderland the American film going public is more than willing to watch a film that provides a behind the scenes glimpse at this bastard brother of legitimate film. One of the latest entries into this very specific genre is "This Girl’s Life". It is a film that although flawed does manage a sympathetic look, not at the industry but rather the young women that find themselves involved in it. This film takes a slice of life approach looking at a young woman, Moon (Juliette Marquis) who has decided to earn a living as am internet based adult film performer. She is intelligent, beautiful and amazingly appealing, obviously someone that could have succeeded in any endeavor other than the one she has chosen. One of the reasons she has taken on a life in this industry is to be able to care for her father, Pops (James Woods) who is in the later stages of Parkinson’s disease. It is obvious that she is fully emotionally committed to her father, there are several endearing moments shown that no mater how arduous the task is for Moon she performs her duties as devoted daughter without hesitation. When a friend of Moon requests she ‘test’ the fidelity of her new fiancé Moon agrees and winds up with a new source of income, Sexual Investigations, testing the spouses of suspicious women. Even this has its down side as one unfaithful husband (Michael Rapaport) succumbs to her charms and begs her not to turn her in and ruin his family. Such a situation is a moral dilemma to Moon although the onus of the actions is on the man. Moon is no concerned with the repercussions of her new career. In another scene the consequences of her professions are detailed as Moon and a friend got to be tested for HIV infection. While this scene does provide some drama it almost feels like a mandatory public service announcement.

The film tries to examine these topics through a dispassionate eye but this is one area that the film fails to some degree. It is almost impossible to create a movie that can be detached while probing the emotional toll such a life demands. Moon enjoys sex, is what people used to call a free spirit, uninhibited and open with her sexuality yet the shame here is she is ultimately a bright young woman that has taken a road that will waste her potential. Too much focus is spent on Moon’s rationalizations for her choice than the more long term results. Sure, the film shows that actions such as this have consequences that are often immediate but little was provided into what Moon would face years down the line. After all Moon makes good money and has a certain degree of fame but what will happen when a new girl becomes the center of attention and Moon’s notoriety sets? A more complete examination of this would have provided a greater depth to the film, a steadier foundation for the rest of the story. That aside, the film does what it sets out to do give a little look into this growing industry, especially the new voyeur sites so popular on the internet today.

This film marks the screen debut of Juliette Marquis and so far she has made quite a splash among the film community. While beautiful young actresses are almost literally a dime a dozen in Hollywood, Ms Marquis does posses a poise that translates extremely well on screen. It is the juxtaposition of her apparent sweetness and vivaciousness against the reprehensible adult film industry that makes this film work to the degree that it does. She has the grace and self confidence that was the hallmark of screen beauties of Hollywood’s golden age, she exudes star potential. Here she combines her looks and talent to ensure the audience will become emotionally invested in her character. Portraying someone like Moon there is the danger that the audience will sit there wondering while should I care. Marquis is able to pull you into this world that is foreign to most. As always James Woods gives his best, especially noteworthy considering the physical restraints placed upon his character. While he is typically at his best in over the top performances here he reins things in a lot but his talent is still obvious. There are a few notable guest appearances including Rosario Dawson, a bright and energetic actress that is starting to come into her own. There is also a performance by Cheyenne Silver, an actual adult film ‘star’ just to add a bit of ‘credibility’.

The film was directed by Ash, no other name just Ash. Okay, if singers can get away with this single name use I supposed it’s alright for a film director. Here is a man that seems to enjoy taking risks in his projects. One of my favorite little independent films was his, Pups, a story of two pre-teen bank robbers staring the now OC famous Mischa Barton. As with that film Ash dives into curious subject matter, not so much to shock the audience but to expose them as it where to another portion of the variety that is mankind. With this film the risks both physical and emotional are presented in a matter of fact fashion, they are not really explained, they just are. There is a somewhat annoying device used here, Moon is constantly breaking the forth wall and speaking directly to the audience. While this is effective if used in a sparse amount this film overdoes it a bit. Albeit there are this does result in some comical moments such as when Moon is speaking to the audience while in the middle of "plying her craft." Ash has a great eye for composition and that goes a long way here. He avoids the cliché of dank and dirty sets to show that this is a business, not an altogether reputable on but a business none the less.

The DVD is well done; Hart Studios has provided a realistic presentation with the technical aspects of the disc. The audio is in Dolby Surround which for a dialogue drive feature is more than enough. The sound stage is balanced and clear. The full screen video is clean and free of any discernable defeats. There are fairly interesting interviews with Ms Dawson and MS Marquis that are fun to listen to. The disc is available in both rated and unrated versions. While not a ground breaking film it is interesting.

Posted 12/25/04