The Seduction of Heidi

This Kay Brandt feature for Adam & Eve follows her successful adaptations of Selena Kitt novels (e.g., the Baumgartners series), and while ambitious it is difficult to watch for 3-1/2 hours due to the overlong sex scenes. So while intended as an integral movie, it devolves into eight XXX segments suitable for streaming.

Kitt's BDSM novel "Heidi and the Kaiser" was published in 2009, two years before E.L. James' massive hit "50 Shades of Gray" covering the same territory. It is set in the fashion industry, limning the romantic tale of student Heidi (empathetically portrayed by Whitney Wright) who is taken under the wing of her boss Warren Kaiser (dashing porno leading man Ryan Driller), made his executive assistant, and signing a contract of the domination/submission format so familiar from the 50 shades books.

The actlng here is fine, with a few colorful characters including another fashion designer itching to get out of her contract to Kaiser, played by a larger than life Romi Rain, but Brandt's approach leads to a bloated movie. Her earlier Lesbian magnum opus "Cherry" was wisely made in two parts, released separately, perhaps a better format than this feature, whose sex scenes drag on interminably.

Of course those sex scenes are the prinicipal purpose of the show, so limiting them would have helped the overall whole, but harmed its commercial value.

Heidi's gradual introduction to various elements of BDSM are interesting though ultimately repetitious. Timeline of the project from inception by Kitt's novel through to Adam & Eve movie release raises the question of whether Selena's work inspired that of E.L. James, which seems highly likely,