Verdict
Summary
Waves of Lust is a sleazy potboiler with the edge of a thriller from filmmaker Ruggero Deodato, who, at the time, was married to actress Dionisio, who plays the sleepy-eyed beauty Barbara in the film. The film offers tons of nudity and gorgeous, oceanic cinematography, but at its heart is a cold, sociopathic core that offsets the sexy mood.
Plot:
A couple with an agenda cons their way on board a yacht for a lustful weekend with a lecherous rich man and his abused girlfriend.
Review:
While drifting through a coastal resort town, attractive couple Irem (Al Cliver) and Barbara (Silvia Dionisio) take a look around and settle their gazes out to sea where a speedboat zips around two water skiers – Giorgio (John Steiner) and his girlfriend Silvia (Elizabeth Turner). It’s immediately clear that Giorgio is a rich, entitled lecherous man who abuses Silvia and treats her like property, and that he thinks he can have anything any time he wants it, and when Barbara and Irem saunter over to him under the pretense of some kind of couple swap on his yacht for the weekend, Giorgio raises his eyebrows and accepts the proposal. Once on his yacht, there’s sexual tension galore, with Irem making it clear he’s game for sex with Silvia, who welcomes his attentions, but Giorgio won’t allow it, controlling the entire scenario with his possessiveness and demands. It’s more than clear that he wants Barbara, who offers herself to him, no strings attached, but she and Irem start playing mind games with him, turning him paranoid and dangerously violent. As the sexual heat amps up and Giorgio’s madness escalates, it becomes clear that this was Irem and Barbara’s plan all along, but to what end? Are they going to murder this guy, and if so, why? For his yacht? Or just for the hell of it?
Waves of Lust is a sleazy potboiler with the edge of a thriller from filmmaker Ruggero Deodato, who, at the time, was married to actress Dionisio, who plays the sleepy-eyed beauty Barbara in the film. The film offers tons of nudity and gorgeous, oceanic cinematography, but at its heart is a cold, sociopathic core that offsets the sexy mood. It’s a sexy movie, but it’s also off-kilter, several times hammering a point that the two protagonists see the world upside down, while everyone else sees it right side up. Are they avengers of abused women? Do they only target creeps like Giorgio, or do they target anyone at their whim? The movie doesn’t answer this question. But it definitely makes you wonder.
Raro Video presents Waves of Lust in a new 4K restoration on Blu-ray, and the disc comes with a new audio commentary, commercials directed by Deodato, a making-of feature, and deleted scenes.
