"One Hour Fantasy Girl": Portrait of a life less ordinary. A review by: Casey Ryan – The Cutting Room Floor.
"One Hour Fantasy Girl" is based on a true story. It tells the tale of a young woman named Becky Lewis (played by Kelly Ann Tursi) who works as a dominatrix to support herself while dreaming of a successful career in the glamorous world of real estate. Writer/director Edgar Michael Bravo paints a portrait of a life that is at once haunting, harrowing, and painfully vivid.
Still plagued by memories of her abusive alcoholic mother, Becky is ardently devoted to her goal despite the many obstacles that lay in her path. Her website, where she refers to herself as "Brandi", advertises that she will fulfill any fantasy so long as it does not involve sex or kissing. As the film plays out, we're witness to several examples of just how far some of her clients are willing to push this particular envelope. Veteran character actor Jon Morgan Woodward turned in a memorable and blood curdling performance as one of Brandi's regulars named Roger that was arguably the film's strongest.
Bravo's greatest strength, however was character development. All of the players clearly have their own agendas but Bravo isn't about to let his audience off easy. Using the skill of a surgeon, he keeps their motives carefully hidden – strategically revealing key bits of information at select points in the film.
The underlying theme behind "One Hour Fantasy Girl" is a struggle for normality in the face of a set of life circumstances that is anything but. To that end, Kelly Ann Tursi does a phenomenal job of bringing this dichotomy to life on screen. In conclusion, I'm starkly reminded of the most telling line of the film - uttered in an opening scene by Becky's manager (played by Paul D. Nguyen).
"We create the world we want to live in."
"One Hour Fantasy Girl" is based on a true story. It tells the tale of a young woman named Becky Lewis (played by Kelly Ann Tursi) who works as a dominatrix to support herself while dreaming of a successful career in the glamorous world of real estate. Writer/director Edgar Michael Bravo paints a portrait of a life that is at once haunting, harrowing, and painfully vivid.
Still plagued by memories of her abusive alcoholic mother, Becky is ardently devoted to her goal despite the many obstacles that lay in her path. Her website, where she refers to herself as "Brandi", advertises that she will fulfill any fantasy so long as it does not involve sex or kissing. As the film plays out, we're witness to several examples of just how far some of her clients are willing to push this particular envelope. Veteran character actor Jon Morgan Woodward turned in a memorable and blood curdling performance as one of Brandi's regulars named Roger that was arguably the film's strongest.
Bravo's greatest strength, however was character development. All of the players clearly have their own agendas but Bravo isn't about to let his audience off easy. Using the skill of a surgeon, he keeps their motives carefully hidden – strategically revealing key bits of information at select points in the film.
The underlying theme behind "One Hour Fantasy Girl" is a struggle for normality in the face of a set of life circumstances that is anything but. To that end, Kelly Ann Tursi does a phenomenal job of bringing this dichotomy to life on screen. In conclusion, I'm starkly reminded of the most telling line of the film - uttered in an opening scene by Becky's manager (played by Paul D. Nguyen).
"We create the world we want to live in."