A psycho-sexual mockumentary that delves into the very relevant issue of addiction, Use Me makes great use of its genre blending, twisty format even when it tends to go off the rails.
We are all addicted to something. “Pick your poison” is the popular saying, as our addictions are often things that are bad for us: sugar. Cigarettes. Alcohol. Social media. Porn. The latter is especially prevalent thanks to the internet. What was once only found in seedy sex-shops can now be accessed with the click of a mouse. Nothing is off limits. Every desire can be fulfilled.
For the clients of Ceara Lynch, that desire is to be dominated and humiliated from the other side of a computer screen. Lynch can be described as many things: “cam-girl”, “humiliatrix”, “digital dominatrix”. She is also a success in her profession, as personified in the six-figure a year income and the numerous articles written about her.
It is this media coverage that drew the attention of Australian filmmaker Julian Shaw (Cup of Dreams). The intention was to create a documentary on Lynch. This evolved into the film we see today, a blend of reality and fantasy, fact and fiction, yet relevant in its commentary on addiction and temptation. It is to Shaw’s credit that he does this without judgement of Lynch, who he clearly has affection for.
For her part Lynch is very convincing as the “villain” of this film, a seductress who thrives on exploiting the humiliation of others. Whether this leads to positive or negative consequences is up the viewer, yet there is no denying that Lynch plays the part of “herself” with the right compellingly sexy attitude. Shaw compliments with an all-in performance as the hapless filmmaker undone by his own naivety and narcissism. If there was ever the cinematic equivalent of the greedy mouse preyed upon by the hungry cat, this would be it.
As most twisty plots go, the films conclusion doesn’t quite satisfy as it should. Regardless, Shaw’s handle of the films multi-faceted blend of mockumentary, mystery, and sex-charged thriller works well.
