Fairy tales often tell us that true love conquers all. What happens when love isn’t enough? Follow the intertwined stories of two friends as they both struggle to save their relationships with their significant others. Can they help each other recapture the individual sparks that brought their unions to life in the first place? Or will they both learn that sometimes love just isn’t strong enough?
With ‘What Is Love?’ Alis Locanta directs what I think is her strongest feature film in years. She tells a story that will appeal to many couples across the board, and the story has enough twists and turns to keep viewers invested in the story. Cherry Kiss gives a fantastic performance as the desperate and vulnerable wife, while Venera Maxima injects an emotional attack of hopelessness into her performance that fits the story perfectly.
The sexual action begins with Cherry and her husband Ricky Rascal sharing a somewhat raunchy date one morning. While the sex is certainly hot (goodness gracious, Cherry looks amazing riding Ricky in cowgirl!), there’s a tenderness missing between the two. It’s sex meant to bridge an ever-widening rift between the couple, and they both know it’s not working. They don’t make love, they feed their lust. It’s hot, but narratively there’s a hollowness to it that sets the tone for the entire film.
Like Cherry and Ricky, Venera and her old friend Lia Lin also share a passionate tryst one afternoon. But unlike Cherry and Ricky’s tense tone, Venera and Lia have a legitimate bond with each other. Lia squirms in pleasure under Venere’s touch, and Venera enjoys every shudder of Lia’s body under her soft hands. The way Lia moans and pushes her ass back into Venera’s mouth as the older woman licks her from behind is a perfect example of her genuine arousal.
As real and powerful as Lia’s sex with Venera is, it is even more visceral when she enters Ricky’s bed. The story takes a sharp turn as the viewer learns just how broken Cherry and Venera’s relationships really are, and the way Lia and Ricky enjoy fucking each other is proof. There is no tenderness between them, but there is real joy. They fuck each other for carnal pleasure, throwing off their veils of domesticity. Their sex is fast, free and liberating.
Ricky takes his rebellion against his marriage one step further when he has a threesome with his business partner Tommy Cabrio and his girlfriend Barbie Brill. She’s hungry, slutty and overly indulgent. She loves having her pussy and mouth filled at the same time, and every chance she gets, she eggs Ricky with her eyes.
Meanwhile, Cherry and Venera finally find common ground in their individual quests to save their relationships after finding sexual fulfillment in each other. Venera brings Cherry to multiple body crushing orgasms with her fingers, tongue and a glass dildo in her ass. Cherry returns the favor and plays with Veneta’s clitoris, smiling as she pumps her ass with the dildo.
Ultimately, Cherry and Venera find solutions to their respective problems, and Cherry celebrates by making love to her husband for the first time in a long time. She gulps him down hungrily, her body wrapped around his as if missing the emotion behind his touch. He fucks her desperately, as if he finally remembers what it’s like to actually make love to his wife. They look at each other lovingly but also in wonder, as if they are discovering each other for the first time. It’s a beautiful ending to their story, and it’s told through sizzling sex.
This is a good movie and a reminder to audiences that Alis is a damn good director. Cherry really holds the story together with her emotional performance, and the supporting cast is fantastic. The sex is impeccable and the audience will love every minute of it.