Her Body - Lilith Likes to Watch
Title: Her Body aka Její tělo
Year: 2023
Starring: Natalia Germani
Director: Natálie Císařovská
Synopsis: A successful athlete, member of the Olympic team, after a vertebra injury and the forced end of her sports career, becomes a successful and well-known porn actress. Based on the real-life story of Olympic diving champion Andrea Absolonová. - via Letterboxd.com
Lilith's Notes: This lady gets so wet.
Buy: Amazon
“Make a splash. Get the most out of life.”
Did you know that once upon a time, there was an olympic level diver who broke her back, so she got into porn?
Well, you do now!
Her Body: A True Porn Story is the true telling of Andrea Absolonová, a member of the Czech high diving team, and adult film actress who went by the stage name Lea De Mae.
That’s the most interesting thing about this movie, the true story behind it.
This is one of those occasions where I feel this movie needs to be shared with others, simply on the fact that it’s such a unique premise, an authentic, bizarre true story that needs to be told.
And yet, it was just fine. Not even good fine, just absolute baseline, no tipping the scales one way or another, Thanos-level balanced fine.
Natalia Germani plays Andrea, but she's so flummoxedly blank that I had no idea what she thought or how she felt about anything. This isn’t a nuanced performance, it’s just going through the motions, saying lines, diving dives and fucking fucks. It’s obtuse, evasive and that renders it charmless.
The film is called Her Body but there never is a defining moment where Andrea stands up and proudly declares that she actually enjoys the work. We don’t even get a scene were she reacquaints herself with her once strong, now broken body. In the beginning, the film at least pokes at the idea that Andrea's body is a commodity, and that she's under pressure to be perfect, to be strong, to be small, to be disciplined. Her body is not entirely her own, it belongs to the team.
She was on the track to be an Olympian. She’s just in traction one day, then goes clubbing, fucks a guy, somehow figures out he’s a porn director, then decides to do porn.
This, by the way, is never a strain on their relationship. It’s not even mentioned.
But at the same time, the movie will go on a two minute tangent about using menstrual sponges.
Did Andrea like the performing? The sex? The industry parties? The awards? Did she like anything?
I don’t know, the film has no interest in interrogating those things.
Time for a weird comparison. Get ready.
In the 90s there was a movie called Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. It was about a barbaric practice where women would ride horses off a huge high-diving board into a pool. This movie told the story of Sonora Carver, who, one dive, accidentally hit the water with her eyes open and lost her sight. She was determined to dive once more.
There are extended moments of her retraining herself, getting reacquainted with herself, her horse, the diving tower, everything.
In comparison, this movie glosses over everything. It’s about a diving girl, but its as deep as a puddle.
It’s so tough. I feel this is an important story to tell, and in theory a very interesting one, but it’s such a nothing presentation.
Best Moment: Because it doesn't really seem to have any commentary at all, it doesn't place any judgement on her career change. Other than her family, no one really shames her for her decisions. And it's shot well.
Worst Moment: While there was no shame, it also felt very sanitized. Also she was apparently a big star but they didn't delve into her rise to fame really, or any of her films.
LILITH'S SCORE: 2.5/5
Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.
Did Andrea like the performing? The sex? The industry parties? The awards? Did she like anything?
I don’t know, the film has no interest in interrogating those things.
Time for a weird comparison. Get ready.
In the 90s there was a movie called Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. It was about a barbaric practice where women would ride horses off a huge high-diving board into a pool. This movie told the story of Sonora Carver, who, one dive, accidentally hit the water with her eyes open and lost her sight. She was determined to dive once more.
There are extended moments of her retraining herself, getting reacquainted with herself, her horse, the diving tower, everything.
In comparison, this movie glosses over everything. It’s about a diving girl, but its as deep as a puddle.
It’s so tough. I feel this is an important story to tell, and in theory a very interesting one, but it’s such a nothing presentation.
Best Moment: Because it doesn't really seem to have any commentary at all, it doesn't place any judgement on her career change. Other than her family, no one really shames her for her decisions. And it's shot well.
Worst Moment: While there was no shame, it also felt very sanitized. Also she was apparently a big star but they didn't delve into her rise to fame really, or any of her films.
LILITH'S SCORE: 2.5/5
Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.
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