With titles such as Meshes of the Afternoon or Un Chien Andalou, experimental/exploitation cinema goes back nearly a century. Whether or not it’s something you would care to indulge in, its influence and continuing evolution should not be overlooked in regards to cinema as a while. Keola Racela’s directorial debut, Porno, certainly doesn’t. Its style and direction is more akin to happy-go-lucky films of the late 20th century, right down to its setting. But it intertwines its style with the nudity and gore of exploitation films to make an uneven, but decently enjoyable time.
Our protagonists are a small band of Christian cinema workers. One night the group is given permission by their devoutly religious boss Mr Pike to watch a film of their choosing after closing up. After a bizarre encounter with an old man running amok in the cinema, they find an old film reel. Despite omitting horror movie vibes, they decide to watch it. The resulting film initially appears to be nothing more than a 70s arthouse porno, so much so that they initially can’t tell what kind of film it’s meant to be. But when characters in the porno start coming to life and hunting down the group, the team has to band together to survive the night.
It’s a fun idea, and the decision to make its band of protagonists Christian in a pre-internet setting allows them to see the exceedingly explicit content with fresh, naïve minds. Some of the characters, such as ushers Todd and Abe (Evan Daves and Larry Saperstein respectively), have already developed a morbid or perverted curiosity for sex, while others, like film projector Jeff (Robbie Tann) see it as completely against what their faith stands for. But it doesn’t change that all of them are seeing this from sheltered sets of eyes, strengthening the comedy and adding to the shock of what they’re watching. Of course, once the reel comes to life and starts revelling in penile gore and death, religion and principles go out the window in playfully gruesome fashion.
Related from FrightFest 2019: Rock, Paper and Scissors
Yet this is also where the film somewhat falters. Its ideas are strong, and its craftsmanship certainly shows a lot of promise for future films from Racela. However it seems comfortable with merely using its exploitative elements for the sake of shock, and occasionally comedy. Granted they do work, but I can’t help but feel that if Racela had pushed his ideas to darker, or more comical, territory, then we’d have a far better film on our hands.
For example, the choice to set the story in a cinema seems like a clever euphuism on pornography’s separation from mainstream media despite underlying influences. Maybe I’m reading too deeply into it, but the choice is clearly deliberate. If taken even further, showcasing multiple elements of both film and pornography, the film could’ve been a striking display on the line between art and pain, or how curiosity can develop into a harmful obsession, to paraphrase a line from the film. It attempts to do this at times, but it otherwise keeps to fairly conventional forms of gore and humour.
Nevertheless, the film is still competently watchable. The actors all have solid chemistry with each other and play off each other’s strengths well. The writing is self-aware enough that maintains a comedic sharpness within the dialogue. And while the overall jokey tone will make or break the film depending on the individual, there’s a confidence to the way Racela directs the film that makes the tone easy to latch onto.
Porno may not be as strong as the sum of its parts would suggest, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun time. Racela clearly has a love and respect for many forms of cinema, and it translates through the material on display. His ideas, while not reaching their full potential, are played around with enough that you find yourself mostly invested in what you are watching. Gory, stylishly crafted, and made with enough of a tongue-in-cheek vibe, Porno has plenty to offer for the right viewer.
