â??My Mistressâ?? is an Australian film starring Harrison Gilbertson as a teenager Charlie, who after the suicide of his father, finds himself struggling to grow up and cope with the trauma heâ??s experienced. Along the way he encounters a French woman Maggie, played by Emmanuelle Beart, who turns out to be a dominatrix. The boy then decided to take a job from the woman tending to her pool/yard as he tries to will himself into becoming her submissive and her into being his Mistress.The story itself is a bit cliche. Here you have an underage boy that falls for the older woman, who basically comes in removing his sense of innocence as he is thrust into adulthood. This isnâ??t a new concept to grasp and has been around in many different forms. Examples include the recent and terrible film â??The Boy Next Doorâ?? to classic cinema such as â??The Graduateâ??. As cliche as it is, there are so many bad kink themed films that this one I feel is far above average. I would consider it vastly head and shoulders above films like â??Girl in 3Dâ??, â??Dominatrix Storyâ??, even â??Exit to Edenâ?? or â??Walk All Over Meâ??, yet not as good as films like â??Preaching to the Pervertedâ?? or â??Secretaryâ??. How for a film is it slightly above average as a mainstream fetish film?There actually is a chemistry between both character. There is a particular scene where the do something as drinking tea together that has a bdsm dynamic that is hard not to smile at. They can be cute together, or you can feel their sense of pain and anguish. I love the fact that both the characters of Charlie and Maggie donâ??t feel like cookie cutter bdsm archetypes. Maggie couldâ??ve been a straight forward Dominatrix, yet she only shows Charlie a certain side of herself as sheâ??s a mother battling with her past, her drug abuse, and trying to regain her redemption in the form of her child that was taken away. Charlie doesnâ??t have much of a home life, and you get the sense that the smallest semblance of love or affection he latches on to, but heâ??s still a child. When things donâ??t go his way he has temper tantrums whether itâ??s putting furniture in a swimming pool or demanding that his own Mistress play with him. I love that even his age was brought into it that maybe this woman is taking advantage of him sexually, emotionally, and the idea of that does what that could do to a boy. These are both incredibly flawed individuals and I really appreciate that, especially considering the context of it.As a film the cinematography works. Itâ??s well lit, and the shots feel as if they are focused with intention and meaning behind the creative decisions made. Thatâ??s especially true when it comes to the more brightly colored and artistic kink shots. It works from a cinematic standpoint and I can see why it was an official selection of the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2014. It does seem to drag a bit towards the later 3/4ths of the film, but it does pick up to a satisfying conclusion.Overall â??My Mistressâ?? is a well shot and acted film about the interpersonal relationship of a dominatrix and a submissive, yet more importantly of a normal woman and a boy struggling to find themselves. It is a bit of a cliche premise, but it still has a point to make and is better than the average bdsm film. I feel like after recently reviewing â??50 Shades of Greyâ?? that it not only worked as a pallet cleanser, but this film does a much better job with concept and execution. Grade: B-

I think that what bothers me most about this movie is that they associate BDSM once more (as is typical in films) with pathos and trauma - characters somewhat taking mutual advantage of one another in a time of vulnerability

The fact that My Mistress looks out of place, set as it is in suburban Queensland, doesn't detract from the director's ambition and obvious promise.

Debut director Stephen Lance makes it all look pretty enough, but the film is so staid, safe and polite it's often just plain dull. If only the film had a real taste for the transgressions it gingerly depicts, it could have been Australia's Blue Velvet.

Flaws and all, My Mistress is worth pondering, especially if you're curious about the odd place of mothers in current Australian cinema.