You'd be forgiven for thinking Luella Miller was some sort of Skinemax soft-core delight if you had to judge writer/director Dane Giraud's film by its opening moments – but this New Zealand import has more on its mind that mere titillation. A ragged, low budget drama that's fueled by equal parts sexual tension and small town intrigue, Giraud's screenplay leans a little too heavily on cliche but manages to be an effective character study.

The film centers on a close-knit Kiwi community and one of its residents, Lydia (Sara Wiseman), who lives in a rambling old homestead and pines for "the boy next door," Christian (Philip Brown). When Lydia discovers the gorgeous, battered Luella Miller (Sia Trokenheim) hiding in her house, she takes pity upon the woman, who shakes things up in short order with her intense sexuality. As expected, Luella's vivacious sensuality upsets the community's delicate balance, forcing Lydia not only to confront her feelings about Christian, but also face off with Luella, culminating in a tragic climax.

There's an air of amateur theater that's hard to shake with Luella Miller – all of the actors Giraud selected are competent, but their awkward line readings unintentionally propel the film into the arena of camp. Sadly, while Giraud's intentions are to create a sexy thriller in the vein of, say, Swimming Pool, he doesn't quite get there. Luella Miller is diverting entertainment, but hardly worth more than a cursory spin.

The Video:

Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, Luella Miller certainly shows its low-budget roots – filmed on digital video, the image is soft in most scenes, muddy and confusing in more lowly lit scenes and suffers from traces of artifacting in a few sequences. Not the shiniest visual presentation, but watchable.

Luella Miller is a dialogue-centric film, which means the Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtrack on board fits the bill. Sound effects tend to be a little hot and the more heated exchanges are slightly distorted, while Samuel Holloway's unremarkable score fills in nicely.

The lone supplement is "'Luella Miller': Behind The Scenes," a six-minute, fullscreen featurette detailing the production, with several cast/crew interviews. It's not much, but it's better than nothing.

Writer/director Dane Giraud's aims are towards a sex-drenched thriller, but the awkward line readings of his cast and the low-budget constraints give off the air of a seedy misfire, rather than a libidinal drama of any substance. Skip it.