Stuart Gillard
Paradise

LA RECENSIONE

Film from 1982 by Stuart Gillard useful only to excite the viewer. In an unlikely, glossy setting, two young minors find themselves alone in a mysterious "middle land" made of desert landscapes, seasides, dreamy oases, and palm groves. Bandits or fierce Tatars wipe out her family, and the strong, curly-haired boy will take care of the orphaned adolescent girl.

The scenes unfold in a single direction: the erotic one. The very young and perfect Phoebe Cates plays the role of a fifteen-year-old discovering her body, touching her breasts, and understanding the value of femininity and sensuality's eroticism. Her body will also be discovered by the young boy who will spy on her washing and more. The duo will flee from the bandits and enjoy themselves with two improbably well-trained little monkeys who will stick with them during all their movements but will know how to step aside in the most intimate moments. The bond between the two will tighten more and more until it leads to physical contact and sex. It might all seem so delicate, yet there is a gigantic component of sensuality. But it's fitting because a film like this is perfect for a certain type of audience. I don't want to be censored, but we understand each other. The girl will become pregnant. Nothing else of importance will happen. Widely erotic continuation of "Blue Lagoon," decidedly less morbid, but the genre is the same.

Remember the soundtrack "Paradise" sung by Cates herself, who managed to promote herself in every possible way, despite subsequently having a very poor career. Yet this mediocre film made us dream (more of her than the fake cinematic settings that serve as an obvious paradisiacal pretext to elevate the sense of erotic pleasure).