Nobody's Daughter

Title:  Nobody’s Daughter Studio:  Hard Candy (AEBN)
Writer/Director:  Nica Noelle
Released:  July 10, 2013
Performers:  Mark Davis, Remy LaCroix, James Deen, Veronica Avluv

A less loquacious person might write a one word review of Nobody’s Daughter, Nica Noell’s latest magnum opus, which might be summed up thusly:  Brilliant!  But Nica expects me to wax eloquent about her movies so bear with me.  She also admonished me to “be honest.”  I’ll do my best on both counts.

Only Nixon could go to China.  Only Nica Noelle could make Nobody’s Daughter, an intensely personal, boundary-pushing, semi-autobiographical, Hard Candy Films release, now out on DVD (VOD release was in July). 

Well written, brilliantly cast, and (as usual) deftly directed, Nobody’s Daughter may well be Nica Noelle’s finest effort to date.  Remy LaCroix is a pleasant surprise.  My experience with her work is mainly in  gonzo and for websites like Kink and Sexually Broken.  I had no idea that she could act.  Now I know better.  Shame on me.  She’s spot on.  And, she gets to play opposite Mark Davis, Hall of Fame performer and porn legend whose acting chops are well established.  I sang Mark’s praises for his outstanding performance in “A Father’s Lust,” last year, and I’d have to say that his work in this film is at least as good if not better.  Davis and LaCroix burn up the screen in a pair of sex scenes.  If there’s no chemistry between LaCroix and Davis Nica has no movie.  But there’s an entire periodic table of chemistry here; the passion is palpable, intense, inappropriate, dysfunctional, and believable. 

As I said earlier, this story is semi-autobiographical.  Mark Davis plays a character like Nica’s father (minus the part where father and daughter have sex, of course).  Remy LaCroix represents a young Nica Noelle.  Once you know the back story to this flick it’s kind of eerie to watch LaCroix become Nica Noelle right before your eyes.  She has Nica’s hair style and affect nailed; even her patterns of speech.  It’s spooky.

And, then we have two of adult’s hottest properties du jour, James Deen and Veronica Avluv.  Deen’s work with Lindsay Lohan may have received mixed reviews, but I’m sure his performance in Nobody’s Daughter will win over even the pickiest critic.  And, the ravishing Veronica Avluv, whose legions of followers now call themselves “Avluvers,” is a welcome sight on any video box.  Few performers, male or female, in adult have her range or can bring what she’s capable of delivering on screen, both as an actress and as a sexual artist.

In Nobody’s Daughter Avluv is fantastic as Remy’s mother; a snotty, boorish, sarcastic, shrill, w-h-o-r-e who shows up in a pivotal scene to collect her alimony check.  She and Davis end up having angry sex on the sofa while Remy is in her room nearby studying and hearing every sound the two make.  Nica assured me that Veronica’s character is in no way like her real mother – just an FYI there.

James Deen’s character is Remy’s suitor.  She seems more interested in daddy, frankly.  But, Deen manages to charm his way into her pants anyway, to no one’s surprise.  I think he could charm his way into MY pants, come to think of it, although I don’t think his bus stops there.  He and Remy have a majorly hot scene that you won’t want to miss.

Clearly, Nica Noelle is no respecter of boundaries.  That’s just one of the reasons she has so many devoted fans.  The strong suggestions of blood-relative incest in this video represent one more boundary she’s stretched to the breaking point.  The writers of the Meece Report would have soiled themselves if they’d seen anything like this back in the day.  But the way the video begins and ends provides Nica with at least a merkin to hide behind.  I’m not going to say any more – don’t want to be a spoiler.

There are times when this film is so intense that it is almost hard to watch.  I didn’t expect to get this much of an emotional jolt from an adult film – it hasn’t happened often, that’s for sure.  But, please, watch it – all of it – and you’ll be glad you did.  It’s worth the price, no question.

This work has a gritty texture to it, particularly the interior scenes, in sharp contrast to most of what gets shot at McMansions in Porn Valley.  Nica Noelle has gone to great lengths to provide sets and lighting that reinforce the message her actors are conveying on the screen.  These are all people in some sort of pain, using sex as an anodyne or as a way of expressing their anger, fear, and frustration. 

Nica doesn’t shy away from the pain in these people’s lives but instead uses it to propel them through the story.

I’m not going to say much about the plot.  It has a twist at the end that is intriguing.  I’ll say no more about it.  You should go watch it and then let me know what you thought.  I thought it was brilliant.  This is one of the most difficult reviews I’ve ever written.  The first two drafts ran more than five thousand words each.  It took me a while to boil this down to what I really wanted to say.  I hope you find it useful or at least interesting.  Nica bared her soul to us with this story.  She took a great risk putting this on our screens.  We should all thank her for doing so.