It is well known that camgirls are fantasies. However, they still remain in the shadow of the small or big screen. As much as the story of a porn actress or an escort is easily approached, camgirls remain on the fringes of cinema or television. Will that change? Perhaps with medium-length films like Flesh Memory.
The pornography industry has existed for a very long time. The world of camgirls and erotica is more recent. At least, as we know it. While it is slowly beginning to replace the adult entertainment giants, the world of the sex livestream has yet to be discovered further. However, little by little, films or series are appearing which are beginning to tackle the subject.
The film Cam, a scandalous and not very optimistic tale
This film, distributed by Netflix, has been much talked about. In this feature film, a camgirl, Alice, who is paid to perform erotic shows, finds herself trapped by a blackmailer who threatens to destroy her life. A gripping film, but as is often the case, it shows the other side of the coin, which is not always rosy.
This story is interesting, but it is distressing to always see the bad sides or potential dangers of a job that is much safer than that of an escort, for example. As a camgirl, you don’t meet your clients and you have no direct physical contact. It is true that the security of your personal data is paramount. All you have to do is choose the right platform: LiveJasmin, Chaturbate, XloveCam… will work. They have existed for years and are reliable and secure. The kind of mishap Alice experienced is unlikely to happen unless the camgirl gives out her own personal information or an army of hackers decides to go after her specifically. Unlikely, you have to admit.
But the film is still fun to watch if you like good fiction.
Flesh Memory, a respectful and delicate documentary
Finley Blake is a cam girl. She earns her living by showing off sex on the Internet, in front of her webcam. She is 33 years old, lives alone in an isolated house in Austin, Texas. And is trying to regain joint custody of her son who was taken away from her because of her profession. At the beginning, Finley seems alone, lonely. But she has a window to the world through her camgirl business. She decides when and to whom to expose herself, or no longer to expose herself, and makes this act saleable. The sexual act, which Finley simulates or performs in still shots, achieves a welcome fusion between its rawness and its obvious sweetness … A sweetness that had almost been forgotten in cinema.
What I like about the approach of this documentary is the sobriety and discretion of the director. We feel his bond with this woman who is fighting to get what she wants, hidden in the depths of her suburban Texas home. What is also striking is that we quickly realise that Finley’s life is not secret or fantasised, it is real.
And like every human being, she goes through the same trials as everyone else, yet remains unique.
Another point that brings us into Finley’s life is her tattoos. They tell their own story. And the director highlights each one as a possible story to be told … Allowing Flesh Memory to be clothed in new atmospheres. And in the end, this house that seemed empty at the beginning of the documentary is much less so at the end.
Flesh Memory is a documentary that follows her for a few days in her life, which is both solitary and crowded, and is largely focused on the screens that are her privileged contact with the world. Made in 2018 and given awards at numerous festivals in 2019, we are still waiting for its theatrical release. More than a simple film describing the camgirl business, this medium-length film full of gentleness, respect and admiration shows the human side of the person in front of the camera.