Feeling It! Review

Feeling It! (Not Faking It) (2008)

How to adequately review a film that has reduced me to tears of joy - not once, but twice? How to discuss a movie that somehow reached into my big girly heart and unleashed a torrent of delight mixed with arousal? Suffice to say that Feeling It by Petra Joy is one of the most sensual, erotic and emotionally powerful adult films I've ever seen.

When I first saw this film several months ago I found myself going strangely gooey over the incredible sex scene between ethereal muse Belle and her gorgeous black lover Yosi. The stunning visual imagery of contrasting dark and light skin mixed with an intense session of lovemaking sparked a well of emotion in me. Suddenly I had tears in my eyes. There's something about that scene that seems to encompass the wonder and sheer beauty of sex. And it's such a rare thing to see in an adult film, I was almost clapping my hands with delight.

And when I watched the film on the big screen at its premiere at the Berlin Porn Film Festival I ended up crying again.

Maybe I'm just a little too jaded by the endless, sad progression of sex acts that make up mainstream porn. Maybe I'm too easily amazed when someone actually gets it right. Maybe I'm investing a little too much emotion in what I see on screen.

No matter. Feeling It has a very special place in my heart because of the reaction it provoked. How many other films can offer that kind of experience?

Perhaps I'm focusing too much on that one scene. There are actually eight vignettes in this film and all of them offer sensuality, stunning visuals and a quirky sense of humour. Petra brings real female fantasies to life with an impressive eye for small detail and visual aesthetics. The film begins with a mini-film called ArtCore which is rather like a form of visual foreplay. Most big studios would consider it to be a waste of time and effort but the ongoing sexy images of painted bodies, hands and lips makes for a wonderfully entertaining entree.

The rest of the film features a solo male masturbation scene, a girl-girl-girl strapon bonanza, a dreamlike encounter with a male angel, a very hot female domination scene in a library and an all-in orgy at the end (preceded by half naked male butlers... fantastic). The sex is never ordinary or cliched and the women are always given the lion's share of attention. The lovemaking is depicted in a holistic way, with faces, eyes, hands and touch getting just as much screen time as the mechanics of sex.

That's not to say the film isn't hardcore; there's plenty of full-on fucking if that's your thing, and the encounters go way beyong the standard boy-girl genre. Nonetheless, sensuality, passion and emotion are also given their due, and it's a very welcome change.

The DVD also features a very amusing spoof of mainstream porn called "Girls and Vegetables." Yes, you get the idea. It's great and seems to sum up what so many of us find frustrating about regular porn.

Petra's third film is an ongoing testament to her belief that women deserve their own form of erotica and she's invested her own time and money realising her vision of good porn. Her movies may not be to everyone's taste but if you're after something different, authentic and - yes - very arousing, this is well worth watching.

Note: This film has been distributed via Candida Royalle's Femme company so it is occasionallly labelled as "Candida Royalle's Feeling It". But Petra Joy is the director.

Available From
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Gamelink: DVD or Download
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Pink Label: Download

Reviewed June 2008