Holding Out and Giving In Vol. 2

Jacky St. James directs four erotic stories written by herself, Shawn Alff and Samantha Kiss. This is the first film I’ve had the opportunity to review from newly minted Bellesa Films, which is billed as a porn studio created by women, for women.

“Private Session” (Demi Sutra and Robby Echo):

With everyone out of town for a holiday weekend, Demi’s planned yoga class is reduced to a single student: Robby Echo. Despite the lack of students, Sutra opts to continue the class as a private session for the inexperienced Echo. As the session progresses, Sutra decides she’d like a more physical connection with Echo, and makes her intention known by reaching into his shorts to fondle his dick while instructing him to cum fast because her next class is coming.

I quite liked the way the “fitness coach fucks student” trope was flipped here. More often than not, the instructor is a man who puts the moves on a young, unsuspecting female student. Here the power dynamic is reversed and Echo is at Sutra’s mercy from the moment he walks in the door.

Casting Demi Sutra to play a yoga instructor in the series opener is a fantastic intersection with her real life, because Demi actually is a yoga instructor in her personal life. I love when directors incorporate the non-sexual talents of the cast into their films because it can really help the performer deliver a more genuine performance. If someone is comfortable with something, and they’re allowed to incorporate that thing into their character, that comfort shows onscreen.

Demi is amazingly supple when it comes to the yoga poses and the way she slides into each position with ease builds anticipation for what’s to come. I was also really happy to see the birthmarks on Demi’s abdomen not covered or hidden by purposeful shots or angles.

There were two standout moments for me here; first, watching Echo bury his face in Sutra’s pussy from behind as she struck a pose with her ass in the air was hot. Second, watching Echo’s sculpted ass gyrate into Demi’s pelvis as he slammed her in missionary was scalding. This is one of those moments where the moniker of porn for women shows itself. This particular visual is often cited by women as being particularly sexy, and St. James captures that shot purposefully because the female audience wants to see it.

“Professor Sexy” (Athena Faris and Michael Vegas):

Athena Faris plays a teacher’s aide to her former professor Michael Vegas. When he calls her up to help him grade some papers; it interrupts a date night she’s got planned, but duty comes before pleasure, so she meets him at his office. As the night progresses, professor Vegas (a bit entranced by Faris’ luscious body and alluring eyes), has a hard time staying focused, and Faris seems to be reciprocating his admiration.

During a break from their mundane task, Faris excuses herself to the ladies room and Vegas unintentionally spies an enticing text on her phone from one of her friends. With the cat out of the bag, things heat up. This is a nice setup for the ensuing sex. Vegas is such a smooth actor and he is very good at playing the unsuspecting, somewhat sheepish, love interest. His moral struggle feels very genuine, and Athena compliments his internal battle with a good combination of innocence and longing.

There’s a subtle moment that I really loved during the early elements of foreplay; Vegas has exposed Athena’s pierced nipples and as he brushes them lightly with his fingers, he asks her if her nipples are sensitive, and if he can suck on them, to which she replies “I’d like that.” This quick moment puts an emphasis on consent, but the moment is no less sexual or erotic than it would be without the question.

In fact, by asking her permission to proceed, Vegas creates a dynamic of trust, which causes Athena to open herself to him. It works so well, because it’s such a natural scenario; professor Vegas has all the power due to his position, but during the sex, he cedes that power to his student, which makes her more comfortable and the resulting sex is intimately passionate.

One of the most immersive things about this scene is the fact that Athena never sucks Vegas’ dick. I like that fact that the entire encounter is about Vegas pleasing her. He explores her body in great detail, discovering and noting all the ways in which he can bring her pleasure. He never seems concerned with his own exclusive pleasure until the end when he explodes all over her ass. Instead, his focus is on her having a positive experience which was cool to see.

“Don’t Wake Her” (Zoe Bloom and Kyle Mason):

High school sweethearts Zoe and Kyle find themselves reconnecting, when Kyle’s girlfriend ends up stuck at home recuperating from knee surgery. An aggressive Bloom shows up for a rendezvous and clearly she’s got one thing on her mind. Kyle is reluctant to fool around, afraid they’ll get caught, but Zoe’s lustful temptation is simply too strong for him to resist.

Zoe, who loves giving blowjobs in her personal life, really polishes Kyle’s cock here, taking him full in her throat hungrily. It was striking to see just how thick Kyle looked in Zoe’s mouth, like her jaws could barely wrap themselves around his massive shaft. Once Zoe finally offers Kyle her pussy, he thrusts into her rather desperately, as if he’s been waiting a long time for this moment.

It follows the tone of the entire encounter as he remains desperate to keep their tryst quiet while practically aching to unleash his lust on his old flame. There’s a strong tension in the room from start to finish as the audience can’t be certain the couple won’t get caught because the longer they fuck, the more intense they get and the more they lose control. It’s very hot.

“Seduce Me Not” (Aidra Fox, Emily Willis, and Ryan McLane):

Aidra Fox and Emily Willis arrive at Ryan’s house unexpectedly, with some scheme in mind. They cook up a story to convince Ryan to let them inside, despite his clear reservations and the pile of work that needs his attention. With his wife and daughter out for the day, Ryan finds himself alone with these two luscious ladies, and they waste no time in turning on the sexual deviance to lure him into their lustful web. Initially Ryan rebuffs their advances, holding fast to his vows as a husband and the socially troublesome idea of fornicating with his daughter’s friends, but the site of Emily’s perky nipples and the sensual way Aidra drapes herself around Emily’s yearning flesh is eventually too much for him to resist, and he follows them to the bedroom.

This tale is all about fantasy and it actually speaks to two different sides of the same situation. For Ryan, the prospect of being an older man and having a kinky threesome with two nubile women is obviously a fantasy of epic proportions, but there are many women out there who fantasize about participating in threesomes themselves, and some fantasize equally about seducing older men.

There’s something powerful and enticing about breaking down someone’s inhibitions and convincing them to toss aside their morality in favor of satisfying their most basic instincts. That’s the angle here to be sure, as Aidra and Emily arrive at Ryan’s house with this exact intent in mind, but I liked the fact that in telling this story, Jacky St. James is also speaking to a wider audience. Remember the pulsing ass move from the first scene? It’s back in a big way here, as St. James really frames the missionary shots to highlight McLane’s hips and ass pulsating as he pumps Willis deeply while Fox caresses her breasts.

The look in McLane’s eyes tells the story of a man who has, for the moment at least, completely abandoned his ethical code and surrendered to his carnal desires and fantasies. The final position in the encounter is fantastic and as far as the sex goes, it is the highlight of the scene for the visual stimulation alone.

I can see why Bellesa brands themselves as a studio that makes porn for women. There are so many subtle things in the way the sex is shot that come from the female gaze vs. the male gaze, and the framing of the narratives shows the desires from a different perspective as well.

Jacky St. James certainly has an eye for capturing arousing sex, while she and her team of writers do a great job of creating compelling stories to support that sex. If this is the caliber of work audiences can expect from Bellesa, fans of feature porn will definitely want to add the studio to their list of companies they support.