Ralph (Oscar Pearce) is an agoraphobic writer who desperately needs to complete his screenplay. His wife is preoccupied with her career as a soap-star, but he has new plans for her: a part in his film. She will be playing herself in a story based on their life, and she will play alongside their new au pair, Nene (Tella Kpomahou), who is the object of his desires. The moment Ralph hits the keyboard and the writing begins, the film begins, and the line between fact and fiction is blurred.
Desire attempts to discover the power of desire and how it effects our lives and creativity. Nene becomes an obsession for Ralph, and so does the idea of desire, how it both inspires and destroys. The tease of not knowing what is reality and what is Ralph’s script is intriguing and a platform for quickly delivered comedy. The moment it attempts to confuse you it throws in a witty line to great comedic effect. However, the confusion really lies in the motives of the characters which are simply unbelievable. Ralph is egotistical and all his desires are focused on Nene’s flesh. He contemplates the nature and meaning of desire, but while it remains only a sexual one, its depth is shallow. Desire fights its way through the claustrophobic sexual battlefield, but due to frequent unbearable dialogue and deplorable characters, Ralph’s screenplay becomes more soap-opera than cinematic masterpiece.
