Directed by: Keola Racela
Notable cast: Jillian Mueller, Robbie Tan, Glenn Scot,
Katelyn Pearce
The Oxford dictionary defines the word “pornography” as “printed
or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual
organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or
emotional feelings.” In that sense, Porno uses the term well. Although
not itself an erotic film, this entry into the storied “we accidentally summoned
the forces of evil and are stuck in a single location with them” thematically
explores that concept. Combined with a group of “after school special type”
good Christian high schoolers, Porno explores a sketch of an idea about
witnessing the forbidden, and premarital sex and sexuality generally. It
doesn’t quite reach this goal, but you can see all of these heady concepts in
the movie. If you squint.
It’s closing time at a small theater in a small Christian
town in the 90s. We see the theater’s owner lead his crew in prayer before
heading off, telling the young people that after they clean up, the pious,
straight edge projectionist Heavy Metal Jeff (Tan, otherwise best known from a
brief appearance from AMC’s Preacher) will run whatever movie the group
chooses. Jeff as a character carries a lot of this movie on his shoulders. He’s
the best-defined character and his earnestness leads to really good moments of
levity, including trying to mentor a character through a crisis of sexuality by
comparing it to his own struggles with nicotine addiction before letting God
back into his life.