[02/19/2014] - Spin Cycle - SEXART

To describe the creative team of Paul and Ilona Black as "unique" is to understate the obvious. Nobody else in the realm of erotic cinema creates anything remotely resembling their work. And even in the far broader category of fiction filmmaking in general, they have few analogs. There are echoes of David Lynch, and outside the mainstream there are other, more obscure, surreal stylists on the fringes of the indie scene. The Blacks — he directs, she edits — have a signature creative vision that is challenging, rewarding, and unpredictable. A newcomer to Sexart, Charlotta Phillip, stars in "Spin Cycle," and laundry day has never been more compelling. A simple plot synopsis is of little value — a woman puts her panties in the washer, takes a bath, masturbates, climaxes, and retrieves her now clean panties — because the art here is in the details, the imagery, and Neena's unselfconscious and passionate performance. There's nothing typical or predictable about "Spin Cycle," and that's what Paul and Ilona Black intended. Nobody else could have conceived or executed "Spin Cycle," and not every viewer will connect with it. But those who do will watch, enjoy, and repeat, savoring yet another bold artistic achievement by two of Sexart's most intriguing artists.