The same year that mainstream Hollywood
explored the experiences of gay men in The
Boys and the Band, independent producer Harry Novak, a prolific pornographer,
issued The Dark Side of Tomorrow, a
wannabe-serious look at the experiences of gay women. While the coincidence of
timing is noteworthy, the films otherwise share nothing in common. Essentially
a skin flick disguised as a social-issue melodrama, The Dark Side of Tomorrow equates homosexuality with immorality,
insomuch as the leading characters become reckless philanderers after their
first brushes with Sapphic sexuality. Except for the harshly lit nude scenes
and a few cultural signifiers (dope-smoking hippies, earth-tone décor, etc.), the
picture feels like it comes from the 1950s, and not in a good way. Anyway,
Denise (Elizabeth Plum) and Adria (Alisa Courtney) are unhappily married to
withholding men, so one day they go to lunch at a happening café and spot two
lesbians canoodling. Shocked but titillated, Denise and Adria talk about
lesbianism ad nauseam until finally succumbing to curiosity. Bliss ensues. Then
Adria becomes a full-on swinger by adding more dudes to her sex life. Adria
digs handsome actor Jim (John Aprea), but Denise gets jealous—that is, until
she makes out with a random chick on a pool table. Despite the eventful
storyline, The Dark Side of Tomorrow
is quite dull, thanks to iffy acting, spotty camerawork, and vapid dialogue. It’s
hard to take the movie seriously when a depressed Denise walks along a
beach—and happens onto a hippie band playing a bummer song inches away from
crashing waves. In a more sure-handed movie, that moment might have played as camp; here, it’s
just clumsy and obvious.
The
Dark Side of Tomorrow: LAME
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