Jezebel (2019 film)

Jezebel is a 2019 semi-autobiographical drama film written and directed by Numa Perrier and starring actress Tiffany Tenille. The plot follows a 19-year-old girl, also named Tiffany, who begins to do sex work as a cam girl to financially support herself. Jezebel premiered at SXSW on March 9, 2019 and was selected as a "Best of SXSW" film by The Hollywood Reporter.

Plot
After the death of her mother, 19-year-old Tiffany (Tennille) is introduced to the world of online sex work as a cam girl by her sister, Sabrina (Perrier), in order to help contribute to the household financially. It is the late 90s and Internet is in its infancy. Tiffany adopts the name Jezebel for use when she does her cam work. She becomes popular as the only Black model on the adult website that hosts her videos, and begins to form a relationship with a frequent customer.

Cast

 * Tiffany Tenille as Tiffany/Jezebel
 * Numa Perrier as Sabrina
 * Brett Gelman as Bobby
 * Stephen Barrington as Dominic
 * Bobby Field as David

Production
Perrier adapted her own experiences doing work as a camgirl in the late 90s to write Jezebel. She developed the script through Tribeca Film Institute's Through Her Lens female director program. Jezebel is Perrier's directorial debut.

The film was shot in 10 days using the same apartment building in Las Vegas where Perrier had lived. Perrier had a small budget, using money her sister loaned her and funds from a GoFundMe. She cast Tenille after seeing her in a short film. Perrier portrays Sabrina, who is modeled after Perrier's older sister.

Release & reception
Jezebel premiered at SXSW on March 9, 2019. It sold out three shows and a fourth show was added to meet demand.

Critics received the film positively. The film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Soraya Nadia McDonald wrote for The Undefeated, "The most remarkable thing about Perrier’s vision of sex work is that it’s just that — work. It’s one of the few cases where the story of a black woman engaged in sex work is shown with a frank, matter-of-fact quality without shame, titillation or unchallenged acceptance of race fetishes." Kellee Terrell reviewed the film for NBCNews.com, "It’s adorned with emotion, grit and heart, but most importantly, it’s rich in creating spaces for black women’s sexuality to develop, expand and awaken on-screen, a rarity in film." Frank Scheck wrote for THR, "It's tricky territory, but the filmmaker handles it with impressive skill. Much of the credit must also go to Tenille, who delivers a sexy, emotionally nuanced and compelling performance in the lead role."