Tourist Trap is a 2023 film from studio Digital Playground and one of my favourite directors, Dick Bush. Written by Kelly and originally released as a four part series, it stars Oliver Flynn as Simon, a Musk-like tech entrepreneur who travels to a remote island to "discover himself".
There, he meets a group of women who live a laid-back lifestyle, free from the trappings of modern technology. Which means they seem to spend all day having sex.
Sounds great, but Simon thinks something's off. After all, the women don't seem to have jobs, so how can they afford the luxurious house in which they live? Well, he is right to be suspicious as the women are keeping a secret and the island is actually (surprise surprise) a tourist trap.
The premise is quite intriguing, although the dialogue is about as bland as it gets. This isn't helped by the unconvincing acting (none of the cast particularly excel in this area) and mumbled words that are occasionally drowned out by the music. Even the presence of Danny D (who makes a brief appearance and has a single sex scene, the cumshot of which gets a slow motion replay) is underwhelming. I must also note the film features the world's worst safe – a wooden cabinet with a keypad on top (the passcode being 4-5-6), that was accidentally left unlocked because the double doors were closed in the wrong order.
Tourist Trap was filmed at the Villa Isla Cozumel in Sitges, Barcelona, and it's a rather good setting for the film as it looks out onto the beach. The cinematography is subtle, which on the one hand is good because it doesn't become a distraction, but on the other hand I feel it doesn't showcase Dick Bush's abilities all that well. The editing is a bit rough, the lack of attention to detail evidenced by the fact that the title card for the third episode says "Episode One".
Perhaps the one saving grace of this film is Zaawaadi, who plays one of the island women. Despite not speaking a single word, she conveys much through her expressions. Her retro orange headphones matching her orange bikini top, she dances seductively to the music she listens to on her Walkman (the cassette variety). Whenever we see her, we hear the funky beats of "Covered In Red" by LA duo Sabals – a track that will get you dancing, too.
This film shows promise, but alas fails to live up to expectations. The quality of Digital Playground's productions has declined over the past decade, but one has hope they can someday regain the glory of yesteryear.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5