Lake Consequence

Wealthy housewife Irene (Severance) is seeing her husband and son off on a camping trip when she spies hard-torsoed Billy (Zane), a shaven-headed, eye-kohled tree-feller. They talk by nightlight, he pulls out his blues guitar. Next day, she's fingering the objects in his caravan when it jerks into motion, and she's whipped away on a trip of sensual personal discovery. This is producer/writer Zalman King's movie for the uncertain '90s: gone is the techno-bright SM cinematic vocabulary of his previous Nine 2 Weeks. It positively drips with responsibility and eco-soundness. Director Rafael Eisenman shows his pop-promo background in a recurrent use of shock-editing, and subliminal sound and image. Despite such effects, the film has its pleasures: soporific sex scenes; Zane manfully failing to portray New Man; the amusing clichés in George Clinton's jazzy score; and the bejewelled dialogue.