Our take
Despite the title and the premise, The Naked Kiss is actually less raunchy than it sounds. Sure, it does have themes that seem more explicit than what’s expected from older classic films, but writer-director Samuel Fuller considers these themes with the weight it deserves, directly challenging the way the men of the town would scorn Kelly’s wares at the same time they’re taking a taste, and at the same time they’re willing to look away from the unpleasant truths lurking in the suburbs because of money. With memorable shots and a surprising song number halfway, The Naked Kiss plays with expectations for an earnest belief in change.
What it won
Sundance
1 nom
The story
A former prostitute works to create a new life for herself in a small town, but a shocking discovery could threaten everything.
After a quick tryst with local police captain Griff, former prostitute Kelly abandons her lifestyle to become a nurse at the children’s hospital in Grantsville, and the fiancée of J. L. Grant, Griff’s best friend and the heir to town’s founding family, though she unexpectedly discovers a chilling secret.
That eerie song number halfway. At first watch it seemed like just a random choice that just seems to relate to Kelly only, but the way it ties in with the twist later makes a kinda creepy song turn much more tragic.
Kelly, and the children, deserve better!!!
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
