This relic from the days of porno chic is a little more entertaining than today's contemporary pornography, but that still isn't saying much.
Dr. Mark (Harry Reems) is trying to help mysterious mental patient Susan (Shawn Harris). No one knows where Susan came from, and as Mark tries to get her to open up and get inside her head (so to speak), Susan is carrying on a rich fantasy life involving Mark. She also has another personality lurking inside her in the form of Sandra, an unpleasant woman who has had it with the demure Susan. As Susan has flashbacks to an attack that could explain her personalities, Mark tries everything he can think of to get to the root of Susan's problem.
Director/co-writer Donaldson seems to be a one-off helmer, unless this is a pseudonym. Credits from adult films of the 1970's were sketchy enough to begin with. The film's cast is an impressive combination of mainstream and pornographic performers. The film even sports a song and musical score. The performances are okay, and the sets are not glossy and over-lit. Harris is a little awkward as Susan/Sandra, her fantasies about Dr. Mark and her flashbacks to an old boyfriend and life changing attack run hot and cold. I could not find any novels that this was based on, so I'm not sure if the story translated to the screen very well. What I did find hilarious was Dr. Mark's completely inappropriate "sessions" with Susan, which are nothing more than cringe-worthy flirtations. Dr. Mark can't break through the walls Susan, and then Sandra, throw up in his way, but watching him be coy and cutesy around her is unintentionally funny. Jordan has an okay role as Mark's girlfriend. The final plot twist is something I didn't see happening only because I wasn't overthinking the story, and I don't think it was as shocking as the filmmakers were hoping it would be.
"Sometime Sweet Susan" is available in a softcore version too, and there seems to be some dispute as to an official running time. I watched a hardcore seventy-six minute version from Caballero Video. This is another one of those films that should be cleaned up and restored by a boutique physical media label. It would be interesting to here from any surviving cast or crew members, especially concerning the mainstream cinema ingredients of the film.
