Private Lesions (1981)- R

I do not believe this film could be made today. The storyline follows a wealthy adolescent boy played by Eric Brown seeking sexual excitement. He spies on a family maid, played by the very attractive Sylvia Krestel. The maid and the family butler conspire to sexually seduce the boy and then blackmail the family. The plot is thin and the acting is worse, with the exception of Eric and Sylvia. The film is controversial even today, because of highly erotic and explicit sexual scenes of an older women and younger boy. What makes this film noteworthy is the very real life “non-acting” of a sexually immature boy and a very sexually mature older woman.

I was amazed at how young the directors made Eric Brown appear until I researched his age. The film was released when he was 16 which made him 14-15 when the film was produced. He looks every bit of 14 in the film. Sylvia Krestel, from Emmanuel II fame, was 27 at the time of the filming. The film contains a number of highly explicit sex scenes between these two actors. One scene is where they bath together and Eric Brown is clearly fondled beneath the water while enjoying Sylvia Krestel’s breasts. The acting reflects the real life awkwardness and embarrassment of a young boy. Simultaneously, Krestel plays the real life comforter and almost nurturer as she tries to makes him feel comfortable in this very erotic scene. Maybe that is what makes the scene so erotic.

Both today and in 1981 the actions in this film violated the statutory rape and child pornography laws in many states. Nevertheless, this film captures the erotic fantasies of most 15 year old boys and is a major theme in erotic films for both adult men and women. Recently, there have been a number of highly published convictions of female high school teachers taking similar liberties with their students. The film does a good job in capturing the ideal fantasy of an older lover guiding a younger person into their first sexual experience. Unfortunately, in real life these encounters frequently leave both young men and women feeling distraught. The hormones of the young people work fine but the emotions are working at a much younger age.