My Take:
We’re heading to turn-of-the-century London. Carla (the vibrant Yuliya Mayarchuk) is a young Italian woman with a huge appetite for life and experimentation. Her fiancé, Matteo, is back in Venice, and their relationship thrives on... letters and phone calls where Carla details her wild London adventures. The film is a series of sensual vignettes as Carla discovers swinging, queer-friendly clubs, and pushes every boundary with a smile. It’s pure hedonism caught on film—joyful, uninhibited, and very "Brass."
What's Captivating: Tinto Brass’s aesthetic. The director has a unique eye—he loves saturated colors, wide angles, and celebrating female curves in an almost painterly way. The movie has an incredibly optimistic energy. It’s not a dark, guilt-ridden erotic thriller; it’s a celebration of sexual freedom where every experiment (including queer ones) is met with enthusiasm.
A Word of Caution: This is textbook softcore. Brass doesn't do subtlety—there is plenty of nudity and provocative imagery. If you’re looking for a deep psychological drama, keep walking. This is meant to please the eye and entertain, not trigger existential crises.
Verdict: 6.5/10 (as genre cinema: 8/10) 🍑🇮🇹🇬🇧
A colorful, uninhibited trip through London. For those who appreciate classic European erotica in its most joyful form.
🔍 Did you know...?
Tinto Brass, despite being criticized for his voyeuristic style, considers himself a feminist who gives women full control over their own pleasure in his films. In Cheeky, Carla is the narrator and the one making all the shots. Interestingly, Brass is famous for editing his own films, giving them a distinct, staccato rhythm meant to mimic the pulse of desire. After her role in Cheeky, Yuliya Mayarchuk became a major star in Italy, though she later struggled to distance herself from the "erotica muse" image.
