Is Zoom Up: Graduation Photo Trash or Treasure?

DVD Distributed by Impulse / October 8, 2019

Yoko is a young woman who takes a job working as a nude model for a Japanese pornographic magazine. At first, she is ashamed and denies the pictures are of her when her boyfriend sees them. Feeling bad about her decision to model, she tries buying back the picture negatives but is unsuccessful. Embracing her new job, she is introduced to new acts of depravity… shaving, enemas, sex toys, lesbianism and even fruit come into play. In the end, she doesn’t want a banana or a fist. She wants a REAL man, and she’s determined to find one.

Travis’s Take  (4 / 5)

What better time to review this disc? Following the previous Zoom Up entry, we also are certainly in the period of high school and college grad parties going on.

A young women, Yoko, near graduation goes to a job interview, easily lands the job, but then finds out the magazine she applied for is a jerk rag and she’ll need to pose totally nude. Her first shoot is fairly basic though, leaning into the entire schoolgirl fetish. The photographer tells her that she has to shave any panty popping pubes because Japanese sickos have some standards to follow.

For some reason she lets the photographer shave her, and we get a close up of his rinsing thick fur in water. I thought you couldn’t show any brambles in Japan, but apparently once it is detached from pudendum it’s a-ok. Anyway, the more risky the photos the more she is into it. Thus her shame cycle begins!

After the initial rush wears off, she regrets what she has done and is filled with self loathing. No problem, because the photographer pretty much hates himself too. Do I sense romance?? There is no going back now though, since the mag is printed and hits the streets.

Now if you aren’t aware, Japan has vending machines everywhere. They are such an advanced society that stroke books can be purchased on the street. One young guy grabs one and quickly runs to share with his buddies. I thought this felt like a classic coming of age scene, where friends ogle vintage erotica, until they all get turned on so bad they start jerking themselves off inside their pants. I definitely don’t remember that part of growing up. In a spectacular coincidence, Yoko just happens to be riding by on her bike and is shocked to see these guys pounding off to her photos. They do the only reasonable thing possible and gang rape her. The descent continues….

She does a lesbian photo shoot where she uses a cocktail umbrella as a speculum. Pretty ingenious for a country not necessarily known for inventing new things. Cramming a handful of colored pencils up a turd cutter just feels uninspired in comparison. Her boyfriend eventually finds out about her modeling. He doesn’t take it too well because he ties her up, whips her with his belt, then rapes her. I’d call him an ungrateful cad, because she did at least offer to pay for dinner with her photo shoot earnings. Yoko really starts to become cold at this point, because she starts to trick unwilling women into doing photo shoots with her. The tables are turned when the new girl ends up violently pegging Yoko with a strap-on. Everyone is getting in on the rape.

Through all of this the photographer continues commiserating with her, to the point that he admits he has a crush on her. In a touching scene, they both have tender, consensual sexing. She’s lucky to be missing the latest photo shoot where things have devolved to beer bong butt enemas. The unlucky model’s crapper chugs it better than most NFL tailgaters. She holds it as long as she can before blowing mud and begging everyone not to look. There actually is some philosophical musings on the nature of what is real versus what is fake, how people change but their photographs never do, but don’t worry things don’t get too serious before someone is sucking a yellow pickle again.

Speaking of produce, Yoko gets tied up and penetrated with a banana. That loosens her up to get DP’d with two black condom covered dildos, which of course means she is ready to get fisted. She protests, but every heaping helping of abuse just eventually turns her on and I have to assume she’s reaching rock bottom at this point. It’s not all bad, since her photographer boyfriend gently slides his entire fist in slowly versus winding up like vintage Mike Tyson and caving in her crotch like it’s Michael Spinks’ face.

And I can’t fail to mention that this has an edit that rival’s Kubrick going from a bone to a space station. In this case it is the cover of a fisting magazine cutting to Yoko slamming a bowl of spices with a big wooden pestle. Very subtle.

While this was pretty consistently sleazy, it somehow isn’t the most tawdry in the Roman Porno series. It is definitely above average in that it moves along quickly, has plenty of smut, and actually tries to have some slightly deeper things to say. Slightly.

Treasure of Trash?

Travis says: Hidden Treasure!