Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014)

Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014) is a mouthful. It’s also a dark sexual thriller from the mind of writer and director Josephine Decker. Loosely inspired by the themes found in John Steinbeck’s classic novel “East of Eden” (1952), this artsy indie flick dives into the desires, brutality, and internal struggles of its cast of characters. The American Gothic story centers around a married man named Akin (Joe Swanberg) who leaves his wedding ring and family behind to spend the summer as a single hired hand on a farm in Kentucky. He soon discovers strange things are happening on the property. For starters, the farm patriarch Jeremiah (Robert Longstreet) has a creepy affection for his adult daughter Sarah (Sophie Traub). Cinematographer Ashley Connor’s dreamy camerawork captures Sarah and Akin’s mutual attraction for one another — a sentiment that adds to Jeremiah’s disdain for Akin. Suffice it to say, the old farmer is out of control as seen at the 01:05:00-minute mark when he whips out his big (albeit prosthetic) peen and tries to make Drew (Kristin Slaysman) suck it. At this time, the plot comes to a head, so to speak. Will Sarah learn the truth about Akin’s secret family? Will Jeremiah try to kill them with an ax? Or will they get away? Most importantly, is there enough skin to make you feel hot and bothered? How about hot and unbothered? We can’t act as a spoiler for the story so you’ll just have to watch and find out for yourself!