Review

Sure to be a future cult classic, the sheer audacity of Viva is something to behold. Anna Biller has single-handedly, and lovingly, created a campy sexploitation pic worthy of Russ Meyer, Radley Metzger and Hershel Gordon Lewis. Biller not only stars in the film, but collected all the set pieces and costumes and wrote and directed as well. The result is a swirling, boozy, large-breasted, semi-clad sexual odyssey that is vividly colorful, outrageously over-the-top and just a lot of breezy good fun. Biller stars as Barbi, a buxom housewife, who yearns to explore her sexuality. In the midst of the sexual revolution and with an adventurous friend along, she sets off in search of herself. Taking on the pseudonym “Viva” for her exploits, her journey lands her in a world of prostitution, nudist colonies, drugs, lesbianism and bohemian orgies. Viva’s breathtaking color palate highlights Biller’s set design of flamboyant 1970s “chic.” Every detail is meticulously crafted, from the hilariously stilted performances right down to the copies of books like “Gynomite” sitting on shelves in this hilarious and nostalgic look at the innocent days when sex was still something “dangerous.”

 -- Eric Moore