Hot Docs 2009: Graphic Sexual Horror

Graphic Sexual Horror (Barbara Bell and Anna Lorentzon)
BY ASHLEY CARTER

Seeing people walk out of this one was a bit bewildering considering both the title and press image set you up pretty well for what's in store. And make no mistake, you’re in for some pretty messed-up shit. A behind-the-scenes document of the rise and fall of a super-popular, super-hard BDSM porn site, Insex.com, a site that not only raised the bar (so to speak) for torture porn but arguably helped pioneer streaming video on the internet (always remember to thank the pornography industry for how fast the latest 30 Rock is loading), Graphic Sexual Horror subverts expectations of being just a glorified shock flick. Using equal parts talking heads and graphic clips from the web site, it manages to raise questions about power, censorship, ethics, coercion, and personal limits, all while being a pretty unique critique of capitalism and how far people are willing to go to get paid. Though not the most well-constructed film—there’s some truly weird pacing (it looks as if it was tossed on the festival circuit before a final edit)—you're probably not going to get a more provocative or objective analysis from anyone else willing to go near the subject matter. Not for the faint of heart, but movies like this leave the judgment to the viewer and are what make Hot Docs one of the most interesting film festivals this city has to offer. 3/5