BJ in the Bathroom

Pleasure is an overwhelming feeling; a bodily sensation that fills you up and sweeps through you, filling your whole body with a tingling feeling you can’t control. Silence only enhances pleasure, makes it more amazing.

I choose to close read the scene when Erika and Walter first express their sexual feelings for one another in a bathroom. This moment is breathtaking silent at times. As they make out, all you can hear is the sound of them breathing. Then, she slowly unbuttons his pants, and as he reaches to kiss her, she barks for him to stop. The stark white walls make the scene even more “silent” so to speak, as it sets the tone of the moment; an eerie feel of quiet and stillness. Erika is clearly turned on by this entire situation.The camera angles are on Walter face, purposefully so the audience cannot see Erika’s facial expressions, which are presumably stiff and grave like her body. During the blow job, all we see is his face; his upper torso stark black shirt against the 5 bathroom stalls. The silence here is deafening, and each breath gets louder and more powerful. We hear his pleasure, and the line “I can’t hold back” is said. She wants him too, and is turned on by how he can’t. The silence acts as a stimulant for Erika; each breath turns her on more and more. Every time she hears Walter protest, she looses her orgasm and threatens to leave. As a masochist, she gets pleasure from hurting others, thus getting pleasure by his pain.

When Walter is receiving a oral sex from Erika, he can’t speak. He is pleasured. One would think that this would be a positive pleasure, but we know he will be in pain soon, as Erika will stop and leave him to misery. She yells at him when he tries to finish himself. You can see the pleasure and simultaneous pain in his eyes, and the silence only adds to the dramatic effect.