The day couldn't start better for aspiring actress and model Amanda
(Jill Evyn): First she has fresh good morning sex with her boyfriend
(Morgan Roberts) - twice -, then she goes to a casting where she is hired
pretty much on the spot, and later she meets Heather (Marrissa Merrill),
who turns out to be a photographer and who books her for a paid shoot for
the very next day. What could go wrong? Plenty: First the director from
the casting Darrell (Rydell Danzie) pretty much demands that she has sex
with him - and she can't refuse since she pretty much needs the role, so
she fucks him in the bathroom of a bar. Then during the photoshoot with
Heather, she is raped by her boyfriend Luke (Keith Christensen II), with
Heather not only encouraging this, but actually getting off on it. To top
it off, Heather later tells her assistant Justin (Jake Bradbury) to kill
Amanda. Justin cannot bring herself to it because his conscience is
kicking in, so he lets her escape - so that's a lucky break, but Amanda's
bad day isn't over by a longshot, because when she arrives home, she
catches her boyfriend in bed with her best friend - which is when Amanda
decides it's time to strike back, and isn't that a kitchen knife lieing
right next to her?
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On
the surface, Photographic is of course a very violent thriller that
also features lots of female nudity - but there are more layers to it, as
the film can also be seen as a Hollywood cautionary tale that visits many
of Hollywood's darker sides, and an exploration of the addictions to both
fame and violence, and how these meet in snuff movies. But if that
may sound a bit brain heavy, the movie is actually pretty entertaining -
even though entertaining might be the wrong word, the film is
intentionally bleak and depressing and doesn't end on a high note, but
it's also well-made, keeps tension and suspense high during its running
time, and keeps the action flowing at a steady pace. Recommended - but
definitely nothing for the faint-hearted!
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