***Not sure if anything in here really qualifies as a spoiler, but I do deal with some of the major plot points so just giving you a warning.***
Dear Pillow centers on awkward teenager Wes (Rusty Kelly). He's about to turn 18 and still hasn't had sex. Wes is so concerned about being a virgin that he's even contemplating letting Dusty (Gary W. Chason), the creepy guy in his building who's always inviting him up for a beer, rape him just to have it done with. Of course Wes would much rather have sex with his hot landlady Lorna (Viviane Vives), but that seems unlikely.
Wes also has issues with his father (Cory Criswell). Wes has found his dad's stash of porn and is weirded out because so much of it involves bondage. That, and the fact that some of the women remind him of his mother. When Wes discovers that Dusty writes for a company that publishes some of the mags in his dad's stash, he finally pays Dusty a visit. At first Wes goes on a tirade against Dusty for being a pervert. But instead of getting upset, Dusty talks to Wes about why he feels the way he does. Before long Dusty has taken Wes under his wing and is mentoring him in the art of writing dirty stories.
Obviously making a film with themes involving sex, porn, and teens requires some deft handling to avoid becoming mere exploitation. Fortunately writer/director Bryan Poyser is more than up to the challenge. In particular Poyser handles the sexual tension between Wes and Dusty well. It would have been easy to just make Dusty a creepy old pedophile, but the relationship between him and Wes is much more complex that.
Poyser says that he wanted to take a serious look at pornography and how it affects different people's lives that neither vilified nor romanticized the smut business. I would say not only did he succeed at that, but he made a first rate character driven drama as well. Poyser is helped considerably by a strong cast, all of whom do first rate jobs. Although there is nothing explicit in the movie, clearly the subject matter is not for everyone. For those who like movies that deal frankly with sexuality, however, I highly recommend Dear Pillow.
Dear Pillow centers on awkward teenager Wes (Rusty Kelly). He's about to turn 18 and still hasn't had sex. Wes is so concerned about being a virgin that he's even contemplating letting Dusty (Gary W. Chason), the creepy guy in his building who's always inviting him up for a beer, rape him just to have it done with. Of course Wes would much rather have sex with his hot landlady Lorna (Viviane Vives), but that seems unlikely.
Wes also has issues with his father (Cory Criswell). Wes has found his dad's stash of porn and is weirded out because so much of it involves bondage. That, and the fact that some of the women remind him of his mother. When Wes discovers that Dusty writes for a company that publishes some of the mags in his dad's stash, he finally pays Dusty a visit. At first Wes goes on a tirade against Dusty for being a pervert. But instead of getting upset, Dusty talks to Wes about why he feels the way he does. Before long Dusty has taken Wes under his wing and is mentoring him in the art of writing dirty stories.
Obviously making a film with themes involving sex, porn, and teens requires some deft handling to avoid becoming mere exploitation. Fortunately writer/director Bryan Poyser is more than up to the challenge. In particular Poyser handles the sexual tension between Wes and Dusty well. It would have been easy to just make Dusty a creepy old pedophile, but the relationship between him and Wes is much more complex that.
Poyser says that he wanted to take a serious look at pornography and how it affects different people's lives that neither vilified nor romanticized the smut business. I would say not only did he succeed at that, but he made a first rate character driven drama as well. Poyser is helped considerably by a strong cast, all of whom do first rate jobs. Although there is nothing explicit in the movie, clearly the subject matter is not for everyone. For those who like movies that deal frankly with sexuality, however, I highly recommend Dear Pillow.