Spark

Maggie (Maya Woulfe) is unlucky in love. With her apartment serving as a sexual buffet line for her roommate and Maggie’s own boudoir a proverbial ghost town, the disillusioned young woman decides to move in with her flamboyant uncle Parker (Bryn Pryor) temporarily to gain some clarity and peace of mind. Not one to sit back when family is in need, Maggie’s uncle suggests she try her hand with Spark, an internet dating app. Will Maggie find herself trapped in the hamster wheel of soulless internet hookups, or will she finally find the connection she’s been longing for? All it takes is a single spark to ignite a fire.

This is the first feature lead role for relative newcomer Maya Woulfe, and boy, does she nail it! Her performance is full of warmth and depth, and she makes it very easy for the audience to connect with her. There are times when she hides her pain behind a terse smile and other times when her happy and hopeful disposition shines through her eyes. It’s a very impressive performance, and right up front, I will say that she deserves some best actress nominations this awards season. Dante Colle continues to add to his impressive resume with another award-worthy performance as well; he portrays the conflicted love interest in perfect Hallmark fashion.

Casey Calvert and Mark Logan pen a nice script and relatable story, and Calvert continues to showcase her impressive directing skills. Over the last two years, Calvert has become one of my favorite directors. The supporting cast fills out the space between the lovers’ tale nicely (especially Pryor as Maggie’s gay uncle), and the entire movie comes together like a delicious dinner dish.

The film opens with scalding sex between Maggie’s roommate (Alexis Tae) and her stud-of-the-night Tommy Pistol. Maggie walks in on Alexis blowing Tommy right in the living room, and the slutty college stereotype doesn’t even blink as Maggie scurries past her in embarrassment. With Tae gobbling his cock hungrily, Tommy awkwardly greets the mortified Maggie as she hurries past. The sloppy, throaty blowjob leads to probably the most inventive reverse cowgirl I’ve ever seen before Tommy bends Tae over and grinds her pussy in a passionate doggie. This is legitimately some of the most intense and unique sex I’ve ever seen without the hardcore pounding one might expect. Fabulous stuff.

Calvert then makes what I consider to be the most important narrative choice in the film; she has Maggie’s character engage in back-to-back blowjob scenes. In feature films, this kind of choice can break down the pacing, but Calvert expertly uses these two scenes to create drama and tension within the story. First, Maggie hooks up with Brandon (Colle) via Spark, and things go really well at the start — so much so that while at the drive-in, Maggie decides to give Brandon a treat in the form of a kinky public blowjob. However, much to Maggie’s confusion, Brandon becomes visibly uncomfortable and stops Maggie before things can escalate any further. Their date ends abruptly, and Maggie doesn’t hear from Brandon for days. Determined to give the app one last shot, Maggie hooks up with Ryan Driller, with nearly identical results. This time, Maggie finishes the job with a swallow, but when she suggests Driller return the favor, he makes every excuse to avoid reciprocating. This creates intrigue for the audience because we sympathize with Maggie’s bad luck while remaining curious about what Brandon’s hidden issues are. It’s very good storytelling.

After some nicely executed exposition, Maggie and Brandon get a second chance — and the results are much more satisfying. Maggie’s joy and pleasure are etched clearly on her face as Brandon humps her lovingly, and the warmth exhibited between these two comes off the screen in a wash of hedonistic romance. This is a beautiful scene.

“Spark” is a great film that showcases the strength of the product coming from Lust Cinema and Casey Calvert. I wouldn’t be surprised to find this movie appear on multiple awards ballots this fall.