Gelosia: Vendetta D’amore
The sexploitation films of Tinto Brass, Jess Franco and some of the softcore styling of Joe D’amato are revived in this erotic Italian short film from director Alberto Barone. The sexploitation genre is one of those genres that thankfully hasn’t and will not go away as long as there is a fascination with sex and nudity. For other other indie companies such as The Sleaze Box sexploitation films are their bread and butter.
Gelosisa which is Italian for jealousy gives the viewer a bunch of different beautiful European women to ogle as the story unfolds. The low budget movie knows what it is, a sex and alcohol fueled romp with a revenge theme and it is gloriously conscious in that realm. Starring Milton Welsh from German Angst and The Grand Budapest Hotel as well as porno starlet Lana Vegas and Kristina Kostiv. You have some great performers here which really make the short rise above its budget and simple material.
I do believe that performer Manoush Vazquez from La Petite Mort, Necronos, Barricade and Curse Of Doctor Wolfenstein plus the upcoming Zombies From Sector 9 steals the show. Manoush plays Heidi, the wife of Thomas (Welsh). One night coming home from a party a terrible accident occurs which has Heidi burning her face and becoming disfigured. We learn very quickly that Thomas is a raging sex obsessed alcoholic. He abandons his wife and continues on this destructive path of alcoholism and sex fantasies.
Heidi languishes away in the hospital wounded until she finally reappears to get revenge on her selfish husband. Gelosia is a basic revenge premise but with actors like Milton Welsh with his characteristic rough sounding voice it is really taken up a major notch. We get lots of softcore sex, it basically fills up most of the movie. Lots of naked flesh as Thomas goes from one fantasy sex scenario to the next and more delectable women are introduced.
Manoush has a plan and in the conclusion executes it on her unsuspecting husband with a little help from one of Thomas main vices, a naughty women. Not a lot of gore but that castration sequence is a satisfying effect and is appropriate revenge for Thomas in this context especially being delivered by his wife whom he has cheated on in numerous instances. Gelosia is a cool short which runs about 32 minutes, strong cast and performances plus its available February 18th 2018 in a limited dual format Blu-ray/DVD release on Amazon so scoop it up. Its definitely an indie sexploitation gem.
