Customer Reviews

All About Anna

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This movie received a five-star, Editor's Choice review in the April, 2008 AVN, and it's easy to see why. An English language film shot in Denmark with a European cast, "All About Anna" is a one-of-a-kind co-production from Innocent Pictures and Zentropa Productions, best known in the United States for award-winning feature films like Lars von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark" and "Dogville" starring Nicole Kidman and James Caan.

A slice-of-life mainstream romantic comedy with explicit lovemaking scenes, "All About Anna" is erotica made by women, for women and about women. Despite its graphic sexual content, It's not a shadowy dark night of the soul, as earlier, similar efforts like "The Devil In The Flesh" and "The Brown Bunny" strained to portray. It's simply entertaining and gently arousing, and aimed squarely at ladies and couples. Successful or not (and this critic feels, by and large, that it's a success) "All About Anna" represents a new genre: a fusing of the Northern European ambiance and pretty photography of that 60s classic "Elvira Madigan" (which this film more than slightly resembles, despite a much more upbeat ending), with a distinct feminist sensibility and startling, you-are- there hardcore photography.

Danish director Jessica Nilsson (whose background includes both award-winning short films and cutting-edge music videos) brings a trendy indie sensibility to the film's visual style; the DIY-roots of Dogme95 and the association with Lars von Trier are combined to make "All About Anna" nothing so much as a lush tableaux of desire and abandon.

The deceptively simple story focuses on young Anna (portrayed with an abundance of grace and style by mainstream Danish TV and music star Gry Bay), a young theatrical costume designer, who's focused on her career to the point of shunning romantic entanglements. But her concentration is shattered by a brief encounter with her ex- boyfriend Johan. As she begins to question her choices in life and love, Anna's dilemma ironically stems from her very determination to be an independent, self-actualized woman. While yearning for romance, she fears the pain it may entail - but even more, She fears loneliness even more. In a world where "no pain, no gain" seems to take on new meanings all the time, Anna is forced to make a life-defining decision.

Loneliness is certainly one of the most universal subjects of European cinema, from Bergman's weighty meditations on faith to Truffaut's engaging slice-of-life comedies. Thankfully for everyone who dreads the pretentiousness that seems endemic to so much "serious" erotica, "All About Anna" cleaves to the latter camp.

The much-ballyhooed unsimulated sex scenes emerge as nothing so much as a natural part of the storyline. This simplicity of the explicit content is heightened by the fact that the crew and actors utilized here obviously had no experience in making "adult" films. Indeed, porn fans seeking gynecological close-ups and standard-issue "money shots" should look elsewhere, as this is one sex movie that refuses to indulge sex movie clichés. In many instances, the camera operator's choice to shoot much of the lovemaking as a series of full body shots seems to actually work against the conventions customary to adult - but they speak volumes in terms of exteriorizing the inner lives of central characters.

Beguiling Gry Bay (who, whether intentionally or not, is a dead ringer for the actress who played the titular character in "Elvira Madigan" nearly 40 years ago) is wholly believable both in and out of bed, by turns fetching, troubled, awkward, and sensitive (without ever being maudlin) in a performance that truly exists in a universe of its own, as if telegraphed from an alternate plane where "real movies" and "porn movies" are not mutually exclusive concepts. Eileen Daly happily lightens the mood in a winning supporting role, and French porn icon Ovidie is memorable in a lesbian liaison with Anna (although her Gothic, fetishistic look and personality would seem to suggest she'd be more at home in a Dario Argento erotic-horror opus than a quiet slice-of-life comedy like "All About Anna."

A final influence on "All About Anna" appears to be American cult director Monte Hellman, who while having worked under-the-radar in the U.S. for over four decades, has long been heralded as a genius of the "quiet film" in both France and Denmark (He even recently renamed his production company Quiet Films, in a warm nod to his Danish fans). As the director of "Two-Lane Blacktop," and executive producer of "Buffalo 66" and Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs," Hellman has made a career out of crafting somber, slice-of-life dramas that focus on the individual's Search For Meaning.

Imagine Hellman being given a free hand to shoot his own explicit adult film, with a wry, literate script and more than a few knowing references to "Elvira Madigan," and you've got this precocious film, a movie that beats all the X-rated filmmakers in the world to the punch at creating an "adult movie" that's not only also a "real movie" but a truly "good movie" as well.

"All About Anna" is a love letter from Denmark, written in English, sent from the heart, a "Vinland Saga" for American audiences. - Victor Manzon

If you like movies like LA DONNA LUPO,THE DREAMERS or CLOACA,this is your movie.Anna(GRY BAY) is very hot in this movie, there's one scene where she is painting a room wearing nothing but a shirt.The sex scenes are explicit and there's even some oral sex.One of the best scenes is where she is spread over a table by her former lover but my only complaint is that it's slightly dark.Don't think it's just about sex either,the story is very romantic and your girlfriend might enjoy it(If she doesn't mind the sex scenes)also,the black bars in the pictures are not in the movie.The 3 Disc Set is beautifully made and it even comes with a booklet full of photos.A great addition to any collector of the Emmanuelle 3 Disc Set.

I must say I did not enjoy this movie that much...this is a great idea badly executed...this is meant to be an erotic movie with a good storyline but it falls short on all counts...as some reviews have indicated the acting is bad, the dialogue, diction, appalling...as for the sex scenes, 'real' or 'simulated' they 'sucked' (pun intended)...the sex scenes betray the fact this movie was directed and shot by a woman probably a so called modern feminist who feels most mainstream movies are filled with too much femi-nudity and wanted to change that...this movie has too much male nudity from unnecessary male genital close-ups, explicit male masturbation in the shower, fellatio all which I beleive will be off putting to most male viewers and no female genitalia close ups at all, breasts not included... so this is something for the ladies who would like to see alot of male nudity...

PROS: Gry Bay's (plays Anna) natural beauty, and good effort at trying to make this weak film work.
CONS: Producer's Cut. This had lots of voice-overs, most of which treated the audience as dummies, explaining to viewers mostly what is already seen on screen. Rather than just play out the important plot points through drama, these are explained to audience through VO. The film spends too much time trying to develop characters through VO. The pacing was slow. The drama/story was poorly written and lacked tension, which made me feel little empathy for the characters. The film has mediocre elements of both hardcore and drama. One dimensional portrayals of: Anna's boozy, slut roommate Camilla (Eileen Daly), Frank, and Anna's meat head boyfriend Johan (Mark Stevens). Johan (my co-screener said he resembles Owen Wilson on steroids), seems wooden, despite his so-called "passion" for Anna. Another element that makes this film feel phony is that the lead Bay speaks in halting English, English as a second language. The story takes place in Denmark! The film was billed as an art house film, having real sex scenes. Did the actors really have to perform sex? Perhaps, they should have just faked the sex scenes because from the obscured camera angles, the viewer can't tell the actors are really having sex. "Faking it" would have saved the production team time, money and risk of STDs.
Director's cut on 2nd DVD is presented to viewers in a fast forward mode. One cannot watch the film this way, so what is the point of including it?
Conclusion: Don't believe all the press hype over this film. I'm shocked that such a poor film was made by filmmaker Lars Von Trier's production company. There are better erotic films out there which do not include "real sex" such as 9 1/2 weeks, The Secretary, Brokeback Mountain, and Betty Blue, etc. These have much better production value and story.

My wife and I find the bang-bang of Internet porn sites more of a turn-off than a turn-on. We chose All About Anna based on its reviews, hoping it might add some sizzle to our otherwise humdrum bedroom activities. After watching it we discussed the plot and sex scenes a bit, and admitted to each other that the movie really wasn't a turn-on either. But then we turned out the light. To our great surprise the bedroom activities of the rest of the evening kept us smiling slyly at each other for days. All About Anna was the catalyst we hoped it would be!

First of all I must say that I am rating this film based simply on my reception of its story and dialogue, as I know nothing about any of the other criteria often used in evaluating a film's merits. The film may indeed be praiseworthy in regards to the criteria on which I am not qualified to speak, and so the film is not to be discouted entirely. As far as the plot goes, however, this film offers the same old, tired story line about what women, in this particular case "Anna", expect from men in their inter-personal relationships. As for the dailouge, clichés abound and the English skills of the writers and actors prove themselves to be laughably poor; good grammar and proper pronunciation are overlooked in too many cases which not only makes the dialouge seem all the more high-school-play-like, but makes it also very difficult to understand in parts.
But this is not unique to this film, as many films not written, directed and performed by native speakers of English use, or should I say abuse, English just a poorly as was done in this film (some are even worse in this regard!).
HOWEVER, the love scene between the two women is very erotic!!, hence the two stars. In fact, I recommend renting or even buying this film for that scene alone.

Yes, it is between softcore and hardcore, but the story line is good, the acting is good and you don't get the "F- me" being said over and over. It has more of a natural-couple sexual experience in it.

First of all, appreciate what this movie is trying to be. It's not an in-depth exploration of the dark corridors of the human psyche. It's meant to be entertaining and arousing to women and couples. It's as simple as that. And, as such, basically stands alone as an entirely new genre. I, for one, applaud the effort!

At once engaging and seductive, this film from Danish director Jessica Nilsson melds a shoot-from-the-hip, eclectic visual style with the sensitivity of mature storytelling. It captures the unpredictable, sometimes comical mish-mash of modern relationships while maintaining an undefinable, almost retro aesthetic. All About Anna has found a place all its own. While not certified, the roots of Dogme95 and the association with Lars von Trier's Zentropa are undeniably evident, though tempered by the slice-of-life sweetness of the storyline standing in stark contrast to the traditionally brooding, dark and tragic Dogme films. Anna will warm your heart as well as other things. It's romantic erotica made by, for and about sensuous women.

Just as a side note in response to Mr. Wang's review complaining about the dog in the opening sex scene, you will note that this is Anna's dog. She's seen carrying, petting and playing with this dog throughout the film! I thought it was clever that they showed the dog meandering cluelessly through the scene!

You probably don't believe it, but this movie is a let down even though it wins a few adult movie awards. There is a fake atmosphere of being an art film and the story is full of cliche. There are three sex scenes with real sex. But the shots are poorly done. The DVD has three different versions of the first sex scene in the paint room. Two longer ones are in the special features section. In this scene, the producer or director's dog wandering out in front of the camera with the actor and actress sweating out their love-making. So, in the final version, a big part of this scene was cut out to avoid this blooper. It reflects two things: 1) she is not a competent director in the first place and 2) the set control is poor. In fact, there is not set. Only two cameras shooting love making in a windowed room. Is the movie erotic. NO. Are those scenes erotic ? Not really. There are much better sex scenes in other R-rated movies with simulated sex. The bottom line: I wouldn't go back to watch it again. I need to put it on e-bay to sell it at half of the price I paid. That shows how lame the movie is.

We enjoyed this DVD and recomend watching it. Sex sceens were well done but acting could have been a little better. Worth watching?. Definately.