Her Body

A welcome change by Czech standards and mature filmmaking for a debut. The film has an attractive story about a top female athlete who, due to a spinal injury, has to switch to a different profession, the oldest trade and starts a decent career there as well. The film nicely shows the impact it has on the people around her, specifically her family, who don't take it well. I appreciate the explicitness, the fact that the film isn’t afraid to show nudity, which would be a minus if it did, but on the other hand it doesn't go to extremes, as the Swedes showed in 2021  with Pleasure, it should have shown the more perverse side behind the scenes, but it doesn’t matter, I still had a good time. 6/10 (23/03/2024)

The great work with music and detailed camera want to let you know that this has something to do with an artistic generational statement, but that is not the case. The film is absolutely lacking in passion and a drop of drama. The transformation from a promising athlete to a porn star is rushed, and fatal injuries are presented as trivialities that don't really hurt. It lacks doubts about one's own dignity, a stronger clash with family values (the unused character of the father), and anything else that would make it interesting (besides the theme). It's like porn - it gets straight to the point, ticking off towards a predictable climax, but you catch yourself tending to skip over some passages. (22/04/2024)

18+ Natálie Císařovská thinks similarly to me. She became acquainted with the fate of Andrea Absolonová (1976-2004) through her obituary, which later inspired her to draw parallels between elite sports and pornography, and she built a feature film based on this reflection. Based on the reactions of ordinary people and (so-called) professional reviews, I conclude that the majority of Císařovská's audience eagerly swallowed the film's promotional game. Some are even disappointed that Her Body is not more sexy or does not follow the expected downward spiral. However, Císařovská does not see Absolonová's career change as a moral downfall, but as a logical step in the given situation. Her film speaks much more about how toxic the environment of elite sports is, and how easily one can treat the body as a mere tool if it is taken away from you in childhood. What happened to the main character in her life? Overnight, she had to end her sports career due to a neck injury. She had no alternative career plan (here the exclamation mark is directed at her parents and coach), and after recovering, she only had her trained body left. For the first time, she could decide for herself about it, gradually recovering from training drills, starting to eat, menstruate (another exclamation mark for neglected care by her parents and coach), and making decisions about her sex life. And the only thing she could work with was her ambition for success. The Czech porn industry at that time offered her a new opportunity. It was not just a factory for cheap internet scenes; it was a world in itself, where good money was made, and some awards carried some weight. Those uninvolved may not be able to grasp this difference, but it is certainly possible to read the memoir book by Tarra White "Porno a já" (Porn and Me), who, according to her own words, entered the industry six months after Absolonová's/Ley de Mae death and experienced all the emotions of mourning with her former colleagues. Those who have the courage to watch some of Ley de Mae's full movies can certainly understand how successful she was and that she really managed to travel with this profession, and it did not just remain as empty promises of the small Czech production. ___ I was exceptionally at a screening in a full movie theater, and it was interesting to observe various false moans of dismay and reassurances among the seats in the style of "it is really terrible what is happening on the screen."  I remember similar entertaining reactions from the screenings of Nymph()maniac: Volume 1 ;) (11/12/2023)

The life of Andrea Absolonova, a promising diver *slash* famous porn actress, whose existence I had no idea about before watching this film, offers a rather interesting subject and it is a bit of a pity that Her Body didn't use its full potential. Natálie Císařovská's feature directorial debut doesn't really break out of the genre of biographical drama, although it does contain some interesting motifs and shots. For me, the film's biggest weakness was the sharp (or flinty) transition between the main character's two very different careers and the superficially portrayed attitude of Andrea's family towards her post-accident life. P. S. The censored scenes didn't even need to be there! (29/11/2023)

This detached, austere, almost documentary reconstruction of the life of the diver/cashier/porn star Andrea Absolonova surprises with its quality. Natálie Císařovská doesn’t give a toss about the audience's expectations of porn cinema and rather observes, doesn't comment, doesn't judge. There is no great dramatization, not much is said, and the disapproval of the profession is shown only through sarcasm and disdain. Natalia Germani's performance is fantastic. I don't know if she hit her mark (I'm not familiar with her work), but she handles the rise and fall with aplomb. The audiovisual aspect is first class, too. (15/03/2024)