Desperately Seeking Seka

REVIEW
As much of an account of what is considered to be the Golden Age of the adult film as it is a biography of the Swedish sex starlet, Desperately Seeking Seka is a fascinating glimpse at the wonder and allure of the porn scene between the mid-'70s and mid-'80s - before video changed everything.

The premise is simple enough – a group of Swedish filmmakers and devout Seka fans look back at the career and impact of one of the most recognizable seventies celluloid sex stars - the woman born Dorothea Patton - known to the world simply as Seka. Through a series of interviews with names from the past and present of the porn world, clips of her exuberant work and a hip and decidedly appropriate soundtrack, the filmmakers attempt to show the impact one woman had on an entire industry. An impact still felt when one considers the number of blonde, large-breasted females that have permeated the industry since Seka’s advent. Several well-known personalities such as Veronica Hart, Randy West, Peter North and others discuss the star and the era that she dominated.

Seka ruled the x-rated world on the silver screen and for a short time on home video with her fervent performances and exquisite good-looks, but then disappeared, seemingly without a trace. The filmmakers’ search for the platinum blonde beauty leads to Chicago, Illinois and to a slightly overweight woman in her late forties who has fully acclimated to life as a housewife. She muses over the old days, discussing everything from her theory on John Holmes’ death to her reasons for leaving the life (age being the primary motivation) all while cooking up some pasta for her guests making for a disarmingly surreal experience.