There's a Turkish proverb that says: coffee should be as black as hell, as strong as death and as soft as love. They also say life is too short for bad coffee – that's why coffee lovers come to me. I have to admit, I make a fucking good cup of coffee. But that's not what I want to be remembered for…
The above are the opening lines of Pretty Lovely Lies, a 2023 film from French studio Dorcel, directed by Liselle Bailey.
Lola Bellucci stars as Lana, a barista who, when she's not serving customers, uses those very customers as inspiration for the erotic novel she is writing.
She speculates that one of her customers, played by Carollina Cherry, is a teacher who enjoys kinky sex. Lana observes a young woman (Alexis Crystal) with an older man – could it be that he enjoys watching her fuck other men? And what of the well-dressed, confident woman (Mariska X) who is always with a different person? This time she is with another woman (Alice Martin).
As Lana ponders all this, she writes down her fantasies in her novel, which she tries to get published. Each of these fantasies are shown to us, which forms the basis of the sex scenes, with Lana's reality being the narrative device that links them all.
This is a wonderfully acted, brilliant directed film with high production values. It's an interesting story that makes one start to wonder about the private lives of those around oneself.
As a bit of trivia, it was filmed in Hastings, England. Fagin's was used as the café. I'll need to pay it a visit next time I'm in the area.
★★★★☆ 4/5