Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Beautiful, moving film.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

For those who can get their minds to accept hard-core porn, this film is definitely a must-see. Set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future, the people are split into two types: Sex-Negatives who make up ninety nine per cent of the population and Sex-Positives who are the other one per cent. The Sex-Negatives are violently sick if they engage in sexual activity and it is compulsory for the Sex-Positives to put on a sex-show in establishments such as Café Flesh.The sex acts, or tableaux, are surreal in themselves: a giant rat and cannibalistic babies and a pencil-headed boss just to give you a flavour of the utter weirdness of it all. All this and more accompanied by a deranged musical sound track but it is the characters who really make the film.All the characters are grotesque in their own way; but maybe not Angel the virgin who is the new star turn for obvious reasons. The real standout grotesque performance has got to be Max Melodramatic (Andy Nichols) the merciless mocking compere whose mockery of the Sex-Negatives knows no bounds. His performance alone makes this film the classic that it is. Even if you not keen on hard-core porn, this is one film that you should see.

Fringe filmmaker Stephen Sayadian (a/k/a "Rinse Dream") followed his groundbreaking NIGHTDREAMS with this even more radical foray into expressionist erotica. Set in a post-nuclear future, the "bomb" has left 99 % of the world population unable to have sexual intercourse, becoming violently ill whenever this is attempted, with the remaining 1 % forced to perform for their benefit in dank, dark night spots such as the titular Café Flesh, run by the friendly but firm "Moms" (sympathetically portrayed by cult figure and soon to become carnal queen Tantala, billed as "Darcy Nichols"). From his single brightly lit spot on the stage, MC Max Melodramatic (an astonishing performance by Andrew Nichols) mercilessly teases and taunts the incapacitated audience flooding the club night after night, both his presence and the garish shows cruelly reminding them of the intimacy they are no longer capable of. Among them, Nick and Lana (Paul McGibbonney and "Pia Snow" a/k/a grade B horror favorite Michelle Bauer) who are desperately trying to hang on to their once loving relationship now perhaps fatally handicapped by the enforced absence of physical closeness. Unbeknown to Nick though, Lana is a closet Sex Positive, feigning sickness so as not to lose out on love through an obligatory stage career. The arrival of small town girl Angel (the very pretty Marie Sharp from Vinnie Rossi's insipid FOREPLAY) and her delighted response to being pressed into pornographic theatrical duty, makes Lana doubt her decision. As she yields to a desperate masturbation bit in the café's kitchen, Max spying on her effectively blows her cover. A much anticipated guest performance by legendary super stud Johnny Rico (the late Kevin James, such a motor mouth in Fred Lincoln's MITZI'S HONOR, in an uncharacteristically silent turn) causes Lana to lose her cool and join him and Angel on stage for a fantasy-fulfilling finale.Much has been made of the film's supposed status as an allegory for the AIDS crisis, most of it in hindsight. Considering the virus became a public commodity in the early '80s, this would not be an entirely impossible interpretation albeit a fairly improbable one, requiring near visionary prescience on the part of the makers. Then again, it was written by Jerry Stahl, employing the nom de plume "Herbert W. Day" prior to gaining notoriety with "Permanent Midnight". Still, I always preferred to regard it as a satirical critique of the "impotent" position of the porn audience, viewing rather than participating in the sex action. Either way, CAFE FLESH certainly succeeds better as midnight movie type cult cinema than as erotica, somewhat unfair criticism perhaps as it never seems to try very hard in that latter capacity. Sex scenes are fewer than was the norm to begin with and mostly presented as dispassionate if rather imaginative stage productions. A '50s housewife (Terri Copeland) with a trio of bawling babies in tow gets down 'n' dirty with a milkman wearing a rat suit (mulatto stud Ken Starbuck, who went native in Svetlana's amiably silly PINK LAGOON) while a phone-fondling secretary (minor starlet Becky Savage, most memorable in Ann Perry's UNDERCOVERS) gives it up to an executive with a large pencil-shaped head ! Only Bauer's scenes are genuine turn-ons, slightly hampered by over-zealous editing to mask the fact that she had a penetration stand-in, even though she definitely did perform oral sex on Ron Jeremy in Svetlana's BAD GIRLS.Acting, especially in the non-sex roles, is excellent. Though some of the apocalyptic set design was clearly accomplished on the cheap, it effectively conveys the view of a desolate future, further enhanced by moody cinematography and a great soundtrack by then fledgling composer Mitchell Froom who worked on PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE, like Sayadian and his cohort "F.X. Pope" (a/k/a Francis Delia) a rogue rebel trying to make his mark. A quarter century down the line, much of the material has dated, effacing much of the effectiveness of what must've seemed "hip" at the time, like the jive-talking black girl who acts like some sort of spaced out chorus. Still, for sheer curiosity value (there has been very little that resembles it made since, perhaps for good reason...), it's very hard to beat.

Well, what would YOU call it? SFX and XXX blend here to create a bleak, disturbing, depressing, erotic film.These are not descriptions you normally hear together.The late Kevin James gets a (Thankfully) non speaking role as a superstar stud. He, and others, known as sex positives, must perform for the sex negatives.What am I talking about? Watch the film. The plot must be seen, then maybe believed.I recommend it still. It's too weird to miss. And as far as porn goes, the acting is a lot better than usual.

For all of those people out there who whine about lack of plot in porn, here's the film for you. Set in a post-punk, post-apocalyptic American wasteland where the survivors are divided into two groups -- sex positives and sex negatives. The positives are "forced" to perform live sex cabaret shows at various Cafes. The negatives watch, unable to perform. This black comedy benefits from a great script by Jerry ("Permanent Midnight") Stahl and superb direction from Rinse Dream. You haven't lived until you see the bizarre cabaret skits and musical set-ups. Truly inventive stuff here, despite its low budget.