I finally got a chance to catch this film (aired as Carnal Awakening, yet listed on IMDB as Carnal Awakenings) last night. Like most recent releases from MRG Entertainment/Mainline Releasing it’s not available on DVD or for downloading on iTunes, so you can only see it when it airs on TV. That’s why there’s no cover for me to post, so I’m just using the above image of Nicole Oring who co-stars in this film (and has the most sex scenes).

Directed by Brian Anthony and written by Tina Hawthorne, the film stars adult film legend Steven St. Croix as a man named Cooper, Oring plays his live-in girlfriend Amy. The film opens with them having a romantic night together dancing and then making love. During the scene we can see that someone is watching them. And when they’re finished Cooper gets up to go to the bathroom but an unseen figure breaks into their house and shoots him.

The film then jumps ahead a year, Cooper and Amy are still together, but it’s mentioned that Steven has had a hard time re-adjusting to life, and doesn’t go out much. Police never did find out or catch whomever shot him. Cooper and Amy have sex again, this time in their kitchen, and then Cooper goes out for a walk in park by himself. While resting he sees a woman named Shannon, played by adult film star Reena Sky.

Shannon is out jogging by herself, and stops near where Cooper is sitting to stretch. They chat for a minute and she mentions that her boyfriend is supposed to join her but he’s late. Then they part ways and we see Shannon meet her boyfriend Michael (Kevin Patrick) and they find a secluded area in the park and have sex on a blanket. While walking, Cooper walks past and watches for a minute, but keeps going. After the sex, we see that Cooper hears Shannon scream and runs back to where they were. Shannon and Michael are arguing, she said he got violent and cut her hand, and he leaves. Cooper arrives and drives Shannon back to her home, where she calls the police. A detective, played by Brad Bartram (credited under the name Eric Williams, for some reason), takes Shannon’s statement and says he’ll look for Michael. In the meantime Cooper offers to check in on Shannon from time to time to make sure she’s safe.

Cooper goes home and tells Amy what happened, and she’s strangely okay with the idea of him spending time alone with this other woman. They have sex again. Then that night Cooper goes to Shannon’s house, the eat Chinese food together and talk and then she initiates sex. Cooper comes home late and finds Amy asleep on their catch, but as he goes into another room we see that Amy is really still awake, but she doesn’t say anything. The next day they find out from the detective that Michael, whom they still haven’t caught, is also the man who shot Cooper. And Amy reveals that Michael was her ex-boyfriend. She just never told Cooper for some inexplicable reason.

Then Cooper goes to Shannon’s house and they have sex again. Then we see that Michael has shown up at Cooper and Amy’s house, and he’s got a gun and is holding Amy hostage until Cooper shows up. Amy distracts Michael by coming on to him and they have sex. Cooper comes home and knocks Michael out from behind. And then he reads a report about his shooting that the detective left behind earlier and we learn that when Michael shot Cooper he also shot Amy and she died.

That’s right, the Amy that we’ve seen this whole is actually a ghost, who tells Cooper that she’s just been around him to help him get over his death and get back to living his life, or something. I don’t know, it doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense. But she tells him he’s ready to move on without her now, and she disappears.

I guess they were trying to go from some big M. Night Shyamalan-like twist, but it’s just silly. Tina Hawthorne wrote the much better film Criminal Desires, so I know she has talent, but she dropped the ball on this one. So this film gets a split-rating, for story I give it 2 STARS.

However it still has much to recommend. The cast does a very good job. St. Croix proves himself to be a very capable actor here, likewise Sky and Oring do very well. The sex scenes (which, let’s face it, are the main reason anyone watches films like this) are all well-shot, realistic-looking, and erotic. It’s impressive because we’re seeing the same couples have sex multiple times, St. Croix and Oring three times, St. Croix and Sky twice, but it never feels repetitive. I guess that’s due to the chemistry of the actors. So for the acting and the sex, this film gets 5 STARS.

Check your Cable listings for air-time of Carnal Awakening.