FEELING SEXY

"Feeling Sexy is simply one of the most delightful cinematic journeys you could hope to experience. Fresh and fabulous from start to finish, this snapshot of a relationship that begins with romance before progressing to dirty nappies and beyond, is an absolute charmer. Davida Allen's use of the visual, coupled with her original storytelling techniques in her debut film, form a compelling interlude. Allen has approached filmmaking from a different artistic springboard, and her future is rosy. Reality, fantasy and wishful thinking are beautifully woven into this tale of hopes, dreams and coming to terms with reality. Susie Porter steals every scene; she is vivacious, pert and totally endearing throughout. Porter finds the magic balance between comedy and drama; her sense of the ridiculous is always within bounds of credibility. Part of the charm of Feeling Sexy is its understatement - we are given enough information to tantalise but never too much so as to stop the imagination from working. Apart from the two leading characters, the effective technique of representing babies, lovers and would-be sex objects generically is used to great effect. A brilliant showcase for all concerned, Feeling Sexy is reflects an effervescent joie de vivre, which is both affecting and contagious. Drop your doldrums, go and enjoy one of the best Australian films you're likely to see all year."
Louise Keller

"Davida Allen is best known as an Archibald prize winning artist. On the evidence of Feeling Sexy, she can now justifiably add "film director" to her resume. Her first film is a witty, joyous exploration of a woman’s search for fulfillment in life. Given Allen’s background, Feeling Sexy might be viewed as a series of filmed "paintings" about love, lust, obsession and frustration. But she’s brought together the series of vignettes that make up the film into a cohesive and satisfying whole. It’s structure reminded me a little of Godard’s A Bout de Souffle (Breathless); jump-cutting between seemingly unconnected events with a (generally) minimalist approach to sound and production design. Like Breathless, this film has a lot of fun with its subject matter. The story is brought to life by a remarkable performance from Susie Porter as Vicki. She runs the gamut of emotions in her portrayal of a woman looking for something more than four walls and nappies. Tamblyn Lord as Greg has a less developed character; but he provides solid support for Porter. There are also cameo appearances from Jack Thompson and Lindy Morrison (ex- Go Between). If I have any real criticism of the film, it’s that it’s a little too short to fully explore some of the issues. But that shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment of this well-made and passionate film. And for all you men out there, don’t be put off by thinking this is a "woman’s movie". Go and see it - it may even provide some real insight into the lives of those we’re meant to be closest to."
David Edwards

"Some people will like this film a lot. Others will find it really irritating. I’m sort of in the middle. Davida Allen has a freer and more imaginative sense of style than most Australian directors: the very short, elliptical scenes, concentrating on bodies in interior spaces, have an intimate, scaled-down quality that’s also a bit oppressive, suggesting both an everyday sensuality and the problems of accomodating this within cramped Aussie suburbia. Despite a shorter-than-average running time, the film does have the impact of a feature, but its condensing, simplifying technique means that all the characters except Vicki have to be sketched in with drastic speed. Greg is a decent, straightlaced private-schoolboy type, Hugo is an available young hunk, and that’s really all we know about them. Basically, everything takes place inside Vicki’s head: thus, it’s often hard to sort out the frequent corny fantasy sequences from ‘real life.’ (In several ways this could be seen as a companion piece to both Eyes Wide Shut and Catherine Breillat’s forthcoming Romance.) As a portrait of one woman’s frankly ‘unreasonable’ needs and desires, the film relies too often on a kind of cloying, faux-naif self-revelation that threatens to be merely embarrassing (especially at the end, when we finally get a glimpse of Vicki’s artwork). Whether you can deal with it or not might partly depend on whether you sympathise more with Vicki or with her increasingly testy husband. (‘Don’t you ever think about anyone but yourself?’ he snaps at one point.) It also might depend on whether – with her freckled, down-to-earth, stubbornly physical presence – you actually do find Susie Porter sexy. It’s up to you, but this is definitely worth a look."
Jake Wilson