JERK - Episode 3-04

Masturbation is a funny thing. Woody Allen (who's said so many things about masturbation) calls it sex with someone you love. Almost all of us masturbate. Some times we do it a lot, sometimes not so much. And by the time you've got a few years on you, you've probably done it enough that you don't need to think too much about the mechanics of self-pleasuring. But how many of us know what we look like when we're in the throes of turning ourselves on? When does that red flush cross your cheek, that layer of sweat wipe over your brow? And what does orgasm look like on you, or me, or anyone? If your only frame of reference was from watching Hollywood movies and porn, you'd think that orgasms either look like a really good hair day, or they involve ejaculate everywhere. But you'd be wrong. Real pleasure, real orgasms look as different as the people who are experiencing them. In part, that's what Deanna McIntyre's short film "Jerk" is all about. It gives us the opportunity to see what pleasure and orgasm look like for real, with all its flaws, complexities, and, dare I say it, beauty. I'm not sure what I learned after watching the film and interviewing the filmmaker, but I know I rushed right out and bought myself a very adjustable mirror.