The Listener

Nora (Maisy Taylor) is a writer suffering from a bit of creative starvation. Her life feels stagnant, yet on the cusp of a breakthrough. When her aunt (whom she barely knew) dies and leaves her a beautiful apartment, Nora sees it as the catalyst for the creative evolution she’s been looking for. But soon after moving into the mysterious apartment, Nora discovers something unexpected; she can hear everything (and everyone) in the building whenever she masturbates. Initially unnerved by her newfound abilities, Nora soon begins to take advantage of her impossible gift, finding her writing newly inspired. But when her carnal connection to her neighbors results in her witnessing a brutal murder, Nora begins to realize the true weight of omnipotence.

Lust Cinema has become one of my favorite porn studios over the last three years. Studio head Erika Lust clearly still values the pornographic feature, which is my favorite kind of porn. And the writers/directors the studio employs always place a heavy emphasis on both narrative and visual storytelling as an accompaniment to the sex. That trend continues with director Lidia Ravviso’s “The Listener.” This movie is a comedy/mystery in the vein of films like “Knives Out.” The story combines supernatural elements with chuckle-inducing comedic moments to create an engaging story, and the cast brings some amazing energy to put a nice bow on everything.

Maisy Taylor makes her adult film debut here with a dynamite performance. She does a fantastic job (my word, is she cute!) setting the story early on; then, she brings it home with sizzling sex in the climax of the film. The rest of the cast is also quite memorable (Ryan Ryder and Rudy Jeevanjee both deserve non-sex performance awards), including Heidi Switch, who has a wonderful role.

The sex in this film definitely serves the story rather than the other way around, which is exactly how I like it. The audience is introduced to the supernatural piece of the story through an incredibly personal solo scene from Maisy. It really feels like the director just told her to do what feels good, and Maisy certainly delivered. There’s something so sensual about the way Maisy squirms as she’s playing with herself; she’s brimming with lust, and it looks so tantalizing.

Effie Diaz and Honour May share a passionate coupling that is a delicious slow build. I remember watching a May movie years ago and being highly impressed with her. I thought she had a great combination of beauty and sexual presence, and that remains true today. She lights up the screen alongside Effie as both ladies titillate each other with fingers, tongues, and physical connection. There’s more to their sex than mere fucking; they are pleasing one another. It’s beautiful.

The sexual climax features Nora giving herself and her carnal desire to the investigating officer (Romeo) in a highly erotic scene. Talk about setting enhancing the sex! These two are surrounded by colorful tapestries, rich plant life, and soothing birdsongs. The soft, blue lighting bathing their bodies completes the hedonistic tone. Maisy purrs as Romeo’s dick slides into her wet pussy, and the smile that tugs at the corners of her mouth shows just how much she’s enjoying herself.

I really liked this movie. As is the case with some other films from Lust Cinema, this one doesn’t feature a ton of sex. But what’s there is very erotic. The story will pull viewers in, and the sex will keep them invested. Maisy Taylor should be given further opportunities to act in feature porn ASAP, and everyone involved should expect some nominations come awards time.