LINDA Susan Boreman lived a life of physical and sexual abuse which might not have been remarkable had she not, as Linda Lovelace, played a woman with her clitoris in her uvula in the porno box-office hit “Deep Throat” (1972).
While Andy Bellin’s screenplay for this biopic of Linda, directed by Rob Epstein and Geoffrey Friedman, may embellish historical facts, it delivers a measure of verity.
Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal of Linda is convincing, a woman afraid to break away from loathsome husband Chuck (Peter Sarsgaard) who exploited her sexuality before, during and after the 17-day shoot of “Deep Throat”, for which she was paid $1250 (the film grossed over $300 million), reportedly, among other indignities, lending her to its director Gerry (Hank Azaria) and his cronies for a train-pulling gangbang.
In scenes involving Linda’s parents, “Lovelace” runs a thread of anti-sentimentality that may reflect reality. Her New York cop father moved the family to Florida after teenaged Linda bore a child. The film shows her mother (a strong performance from a de-glamourised Sharon Stone) rejecting Linda’s vulnerability and pleas for protection and consolation after the toxic marriage with Chuck became intolerable.
Its in-your-face ventures into the skin trade may be capable of making your skin crawl for its depiction of men exploiting women, but they also deliver a salutary lesson. Reports that erotic movies gross more than the mainstream product suggest that their modern performers may be better paid than Linda was. And possibly enjoy it more.
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