Review: Tristan Taormino’s Rough Sex

Tristan Taormino is the first adult film director and producer that I had an immense curiosity about. She is a woman in a typically male-dominated industry; I also dare say that the adult film industry as a whole is believed to be a boy’s club, so for a woman to make her mark on the industry is phenomenal and to do it well gives the self-professed feminist in me quite a thrill. I like seeing women making waves in an industry that is believed to be by men, for men, especially considering that one in three women watch and enjoy adult films.

I recently had the opportunity to be introduced to Tristan Taormino and her film, Rough Sex, which greatly sums up the content of the film.

What is different and also refreshing about Rough Sex is that at the beginning of every scene, you get to see interviews with the performers from the upcoming scene and hear about their own sexual fantasies, that they then get to act out completely consensually and safely in the scene. Women’s fantasies vary greatly and we often do fantasize about rough sex and the spontaneity of doing something a little dirty and a little wrong. I greatly respect Taormino for “going there” and for not being afraid to capture the same fantasies that can put some people off or even make people feel uncomfortable watching, but be incredibly hot at the same time.

Granted, this film is not for everyone, especially since it does depict (consensual) rape fantasy, home invasion fantasies and also has a scene that switches the typical dominant male/submissive woman scenario and has a woman’s fantasy of being dominant in the bedroom and her corporate business, obviously powerful husband be in the submissive role, which I liked seeing quite a bit. In my opinion, this film can be really hot for women who do fantasize about rough sex and can also be very eye-opening in the respect that you have the opportunity to open yourself up to new ideas and may discover that you do like fantasizing about something that you didn’t think would excite you.

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