Looking Through Lillian

Quick cuts of carefully veiled boudoir activity in the pre-credit sequence suggests that Looking Through Lillian may be simply another formulaic erotic thriller, but director Jake Torem thwarts those expectations early on. The attractive but slightly wasted-looking Lillian (promising newcomer Jade Henham) is having second thoughts about her sole job as a well-paid mistress to coke-headed businessman Gene (Sam Bottoms), who has a thing for kinky dress-up, role-switching sex games. After meeting a sensitive male poet, and receiving encouragement from her female roommate, Lillian may finally be ready to take some college courses and go straight. Despite some cliché-ridden dialogue and a rather lame setup, the spot-on direction and affecting lead performances transcend most of the material's shortcomings. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary with director Torem and actress Henham, moderated by a L.A. film critic Wade Major, offering enlightening insights into low-budget indie filmmaking. Bottom line: a small extras package for a small but promising film.] (T. Rich)