Helen is not what one would call a "lucky girl." She is actively seeking a sexual partner but attracts all the wrong guys, among them, rapists, a friend looking for a one-night stand, a perverted gynecologist, and other malcontents. Invariably, after having sex, her partner disappears, literally sucked up by her vagina. Helen starts to hear voices coming from her entrails. Her vulva asks her to feed it fresh meat. Overwhelmed by this terrible situation, she decides to become a prostitute in order to meet potential victims.
After a sum-up like this, one might immediately think that this is a rather trashy movie with gratuitous sex, a touch of gore and a lot of of bad taste. Actually, quite the opposite is true. Even with it's small budget, director Wolfgang Büld really enhanced the script and the range of the film.
Penetration Angst is about an original subject - the intimate relationship between a woman and her vagina. And what a vagina! After it has eaten a guy, it leaves only the clothes!
Filmed with much modesty (some furtive but erotic nude scenes), Penetration Angst is more like a dramatic black comedy than a voyeuristic exploitation movie. German director Büld made this an intelligent production. First of all, he gave actress Fiona Horsey total freedom to interpret the main character. The fact that she has a vacuum cleaner vagina is really uncommon, and Fiona has the talent to make this seem credible. She provides her character with a deep psychological background. She is physically easy on the eyes, and her nudity (while never completely nude) constitutes a great example of subtle eroticism. Büld had to choose what to show and what not to show, and he chose well. He knows exactly what story he wants to tell, and it's not just a stupid sexploitation flick, made for a quick buck; Penetration Angst goes far beyond all that.
The scenes where the men "disappear" are symbolic, and they're shown with a funny visual effect. While these scenes are not at all gory, there are some gory scenes when you don't expect it.
In parallel to Helen's intimate problems we follow her only true friend, Dennis, and his quest for love. He's the only one who doesn't want her sexually, but Helen doesn't want his help. She rejects him every time he tries to talk about her problems. Let's just say that he is a bit sticky and annoying.
Dennis meets a pair of Siamese twins, and while one of the girls seems to be Dennis' type (intelligent, quiet, romantic), the other is just the opposite; she's a mean slut who thinks only about breaking up the happy couple. It's going to be hard for Dennis to form a relationship with the one girl while trying to ignore the other. Dennis will be forced to take serious measures in a very impressive scene where the blood spurts at will.
The movie fluctuates between psychological drama and black comedy. On one side, we have the portrait of an internally tortured woman (whom we suffer with.) She must look to her past for the cause of her pain. On the other side, we have all the perverts who try to abuse her but, ultimately, end up being eaten alive by her crotch. We also have the subplot where we follow Dennis. There's also a second subplot, which is the story of a girl who decides to rob a bank with Dennis' help. This part of the film gives it a kind of "road-movie" feel near the end.
Büld knows how to make all these things work, and he knows how to make all of the crazy things realistic. He definitely had to tread down some different paths with this story. While one might, at times, feel a bit lost and unsure of where exactly the story is heading, in the end it is no big deal. If you like chaotic and weird movies, you'll like this one for sure.
Starring Fiona Horsey, Paul Conway, Jaye Macauley, Beth and Amy Steel. Country : UK / Germany. Year : 2003.
Reviewed by jerome@cinetrange.com
Corrected by christian@cinetrange.com
You can order PENETRATION ANGST direct by mail from Salvation Films online shop or at amazon.co.uk
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