Ninn Worx Project's In the Garden of Shadows is a strange, stylistic porn film from the mind of Michael Ninn, and if you're familiar with his work, you know you're in for a film of high productions values, lots of slow-motion sex, gorgeous girls, and sex that approaches the artistic. In the Garden of Shadows is a film with intricately designed sets and carefully chosen costumes. Ninn uses many stylistic devices, such as filtered cameras, fog machines, and lighting tricks. If you can get into the mood it conveys, you're in for some fine sexual scenarios, almost dreamlike, but you might get turned off by Ninn's slow, sultry approach to sex. He also tends to edit his films spastically, often to the drumbeat of his admittedly good musical score.

This film is a loosely assembled collection of decadent sex scenes, strung together by the device of an ancient book that awakens sexual desires among its Victorian characters. There's an Anne Rice feel to the film's look, and that's carried through in the settings and costumes. If you're into straight-on, gonzo sex, avoid this one, but if you want something original and interesting, you might give it a try, despite its flaws. In a way, Ninn is doing porn almost the way I wish softcore-minded Andrew Blake were doing it.

Scene 1

The scene begins, like many Ninn-directed scenes, with a striptease and masturbation. A pretty blonde walks sensuously to a chair, disrobes while posing, and then proceeds to finger herself and moan plentifully. All the while, moody music throbs behind her. After she has satiated herself, a leather-clad dude enters the room and goes ballistic on her ready-and-waiting vagina with his tongue. There's some spitting here, and in general a very modern sexual sensibility that seems at odds with this film's setting. Anyway, she bestows a quiet blow on his rather gargantuan member. Then, the setting changes, and they have sex on a stairwell, standing up and reverse cowgirl, while moody fog flows around them. Not bad at all, but not in keeping with the tone of the film. Grade: B

Scene 2

Here's a scene that seems more in tune with the flavor of the film. A costumed brunette teases us and fingers herself, in a highly stylized outdoor setting of crimson draperies and white columns. It all feels vaguely Victorian, and it doesn't hurt that the girl gives off a sweet innocence in her virginal maid's uniform. A blonde in black watches from a carriage, mysteriously. Soon enough, a tuxedoed dude diving her tongue into the first woman's gorgeous kisp, and then the sex begins in earnest. They go through the usual routine of positions, and when they do standing doggie, you'll laugh at the guy, naked save for his black shoes. Too many "creative" angles in this scene, but the sex is good. Grade: B

Scene 3

The blonde from the previous scene transitions into her own scene, this time with another woman, a creamy-skinned brunette. We're in the same setting as the previous scene, too, and this is some impressive lesbian sex. Lots of tongues and fingers, and after a while, an ornate-looking silver dildo. And great kisses. Grade: B+

Scene 4

Here's an oddly pretentious scene, in which a bewildered-looking Cher lookalike wanders arounda shadowy cellar with a disturbing baby doll, amid whispers and moody music. Slowly, quite slowly, she begins disrobing and undergoing the usual Ninn scene: masturbating with her fingers before proceeding to sex. The unique element of this scene is that a guy is watching her finger action with a headlamp. Later, Cher fellates two well-endowed doctors in green surgical masks. No, really. And they have vaginal and anal sex, culminating with a double-penetration and too much throaty screaming. Grade: C

Scene 5

This scene begins with a lot of disjointed shots of masturbation in water and finally slows down to show a blonde receiving standing cunnilingus from a long-haired dude outdoors. In this modern setting, she then fellates him in an indoor tub, and it's a heck of a blow. The sex takes place in weird lighting conditions, complete with spliced-in effects shots. The effect is disorienting, and the dirty talk doesn't help. That is, dirty talk is fine in the right setting, but it really seems out of place in this film. These two graduate to a bed for some energetic missionary. Grade: B

VIDEO/AUDIO PRESENTATION

This is a full-frame presentation that boasts good sharpness and detail. The director has a lot of stylistic and lighting tricks up his sleeve, but this transfer brings them across accurately. Colors are quite good, often purposefully oversaturated. The audio presentation shines, even though it's merely a stereo mix. The low end is powerful, coming through primarily in the energetic score.

EXTRAS

The DVD is a 2-disc presentation. Disc 1 holds the film, and disc 2 holds the extras. Strangely, the sole substantive extra is a 39-minute Behind the Scenes featurette that is typical of a Ninn featurette—some of the same stylistic tendencies of the main feature, along with fly-on-the-wall stuff and interviews. I enjoyed much of this piece, even though the video has a jittery quality. I love interviews with porn chicks when they're gloriously nude. There are also many funny moments, as girls wink for the cameras and goof off. I'm sure this piece could have fit on the first disc, though.

You also get a slideshow-like Photo Gallery.