Pulpmovies Reviews

Carmen (Jace Nicole) is a pretty unexceptional person. She’s a single mother trying to support her daughter and herself and make her way through life in New York. Her ambitions are modest and revolve around a desire for stability and a loving relationship similar to that enjoyed by her room-mate, Jodie (Naama Kates). In fact, the only thing about Carmen that is particularly notable is her job.

Carmen works in the adult entertainment industry. Specifically, she is an actress in porn films and – for want of a better word – a web-cam celebrity.

Cookies & Cream establishes very quickly what Carmen does for a living and the sort of films she appears in. The film establishes this, though, in a remarkably unexploitative way that makes it quite clear that the nuts and bolts of Carmen’s profession are not going to be particularly focussed on. Writer/director Princeton Holt is clearly much more interested in the character of Carmen herself, her decisions and how these affect the direction she is taking through life.

The film, therefore, is very much a slice-of-life drama that follows Carmen as she ends one relationship and embarks on a new one with a man who, she hopes, will eventually love her for who she is, and not for what she does for a living.

This sort of character study is quite difficult to achieve and it’s a testament to both the writing and the acting that the film accomplishes so much. Carmen is a very well-rounded character and it is very easy to see where she is coming from and to understand what she is looking for out of life. The characterisation goes way beyond this, however, and all of the significant characters we encounter are similarly well drawn. This is especially true in the case of Jodie and Dylan (Brian Ackley), the man she meets and with whom she starts to develop a relationship.

As with the writing, so with the acting. Again, Jace Nicole does a superb job of carrying this film and brings a real emotional depth to her character, but the strength of the cast as a whole means that her performance doesn’t stand out as much as it could have done. While some of the performances are stronger than others, there are no weak performances and all of the cast members do an admirable job of bringing their characters to life.

All of this results in a genuinely compassionate drama populated with engaging and sympathetic characters. As the film progresses these characters increasingly draw you into their world, capturing and holding your interest for its duration.

Cookies & Cream does more than any other film I’ve seen to humanise the people working in the adult entertainment industry. The film moves along at quite a steady pace and without a great deal happening. It’s this pacing that makes the film so effective, allowing the characters space to develop and become increasingly interesting and sympathetic. As the characters develop, the film subtly challenges many of the prejudices – both positive and negative – that surround the adult entertainment industry, presenting us instead with an alternative – and much more realistic view – of a collection of individuals trying to do the best for themselves and for each other.

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