Barbara is a middle-aged wife and mother, somewhat repressed and self-conscious, whose husband decides to leave her to live with his irremediably younger secretary. From that moment on, Barbara finds herself searching for a job to maintain her middle-class lifestyle, so she seeks the help of an old friend to get a position at his company, where she is systematically harassed by him. Her introverted nature prevents Barbara from finding sexual partners in her immediate surroundings, so she begins to feel attracted to her own teenage son, who spends all day fornicating at home with his girlfriend. Barbara tries to fight this morally reprehensible desire, but her own son, who even spies on her while she showers, doesn't make things easy.
More than four decades after its release, this adult classic remains strong, largely thanks to Kay Parker's stellar performance as Barbara Scott, a forty-something mother. Parker is stunning in all her emerging middle-aged glory. However, it's her believable performance that carries this film, which isn't always an easy task, considering some of the script's more serious moments (which require her to maintain a circumspect demeanor while the crew around her is splitting hairs), and some of the outdated attitudes, according to the demands of the role. The intensity of the sex scenes has rarely been seen on the blue screen, greatly aided by the believable age gap between "mother and son" in their incestuous relationship. Juliet Anderson is truly hilarious as Barbara's perpetually horny best friend, Gina, who can't help but be aroused by learning of her friend's incestuous indiscretion.