THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (1999): Getting Under The Skin Of A Porn Star
Porn documentaries all really have the same basic thingsto say: the business isn't a pretty one, it takes a heavy toll on thoseinvolved and the people involved often are grappling with demons. So why isthis genre such a fascinating one? Because of the personalities. The pornbusiness never fails to draw in interesting characters and each one responds tothe rigors of the business in an interesting and personalized way.
And The Girl NextDoor has an interesting character in Stacy Valentine. The product ofdivorced parents (including a scary dad), she entered marriage quickly afterhigh school and her domineering hubby talked her into sending in nude pix to aporn magazine contest. Not only did she win, she discovered a whole new worldof excitement that she soon craved. She ditched her by-then resentful hubby andmoved from Omaha to the San Fernando Valley.
As The Girl NextDoor begins, Valentine has established herself as a prominent adult filmlead. Her approach to the biz is refreshing: she's in it for the sexualgratification and scorns peers who only do it for the money. She also alevel-headed businesswoman who knows her worth on the market, takes pride inwhat she does and applies a Midwestern work ethic to her job.
Unfortunately, she is also prey to personal demons thathaunt her despite her successes. Valentine's willingness to bare her body(including some painful plastic surgery, which is shown in graphic detail) andher lifestyle often seems like a diversionary tactic to keep herself fromlooking inward. The obvious thing she is unsuccessfully trying to avoid is thefact the pain of her relationships with her father and her ex have made itwell-nigh impossible for her to trust men.
Valentine veers between wanting intimacy and resentingthat need, causing plenty of strain for her on-again, off-again relationshipwith fellow porn star Julian. Their rollercoaster relationship provides anarrative backbone for the film, its ups and downs illustrating both the desirefor non-sexual love common to many porn stars and the human costs of a careerin the adult entertainment industry.
The resulting documentary might cover familiar territorybut The Girl Next Door remainscompelling because the filmmakers have a good subject and know how to presenther. Director Christine Fugate never puts a judgmental spin on Valentine,choosing instead to concentrate on how she reacts to the highs and lows of hercareer and allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions.
Fugate also looks for ways to present her subject as anormal person, an aim that works particularly well when Valentine visits hermother. Indeed, the film's most touching moment comes when her mother has aheart to heart talk with her - not to complain about her lifestyle but to tellher that she wants Stacy to find a husband so she knows someone will love andcare for her daughter when she is gone.
Needless to say, this isn't a film for those in search of cheap thrills. The Girl Next Door offers plenty of casual nudity and discreet fly-on-the-wall footage of sex on porn sets but none of it is erotic (particularly a scene where Valentine honors a commitment by performing a scene after fake-smoke fog has made her ill). Instead, The Girl Next Door avoids both glamorization and demonization to put a human face on the business.