At first blush, Canadian independent film "Walk All Over Me" looks like a farcical take on what might be best described as "the accidental dominatrix" scenario, with curious results. The plot entertainingly twists and turns, making for a very entertaining "walk on the wild side," reminiscent of "Bound," sans lesbianism but with a heavy serving of BDSM. In "Walk All Over Me," Leelee Sobieski plays Alberta, who escapes an abusive relationship and flees to Vancouver where she looks up the only person she knows, her childhood babysitter, Celene (Tricia Helfer, "Battlestar Galactica's" Number Six). Helfer takes her in, and Sobieski works at a supermarket -- until she sees Helfer raking in $300 an hour as a dominatrix. Sobieski decides to give whip wielding and rubber corsets a spin -- naively impersonating Helfer, topping a male client who's in a whole lot of criminal trouble, and getting both women into a dangerous, action-filled predicament. It's not difficult to imagine Number Six as a hot dominatrix. In fact, it's been my favorite pastime since I first heard of "Walk All Over Me." Not that it's all that far from Number Six's reach, but Helfer was drawn to the role beyond my more obvious fantasies. Helfer explained, "A lot of women complain about a lack of good roles but the writing was so strong in 'Walk All Over Me.' Additionally it also gave me the chance to do play opposite a female, which is not a type of role I usually get." Carolyn's glee notwithstanding, and the unbearable attraction of a dark, humorous, BDSM action thriller starring two extremely talented, six-foot tall actresses, I couldn't help wondering how they handled the film's BDSM themes. It's all too easy to make S/M a whipping boy (hey, I'll be here all week, folks) for humor and to make fun of the freaks. During the trailer's intro, we see Sobieski cringing at the interests of potential clients; in the "Walk All Over Me" press materials, BDSM clients are indeed cavalierly referred to as "weirdos". But it's not that simple: "Walk All Over Me" is more genuine than that. Sobieski's initial reaction is only one facet of the film's BDSM backdrop, and Helfer's no-nonsense, driven career woman attitude toward being a pro-domme is a nice counterbalance. Still, I had questions of my own, and since I was also lucky to catch a word with Director and Co-Writer Robert Cuffley I asked him my burning, shiny-boots-of-leather questions myself. Violet Blue: You not only directed, but also cowrote the film. What attracted you to the project? Fun, or was there an aspect of the story you felt particularly driven to relate to an audience? Robert Cuffley: What attracted me -- and I remember the exact moment -- was the idea of throwing an innocent, less-than-worldly character, into the business of S/M. I knew there would be dramatic and comedic possibilities. I also knew that I wanted to see the reaction of this character to this world. So there are quite a few lingering shots of Alberta's face, where we dwell on her small town reaction to what she's seeing. Of course, what a good character entails isn't just her reaction to what's going on, but what she does with this new information. So when Alberta (Sobieski) finds herself in a real bind, seeing her utilize what she's learned about S/M is somehow satisfying to me. VB: How would you describe the tone surrounding your portrayal of BDSM in the film? RC: I would say the tone is playfully dangerous. There are big stakes, but the stakes are offset by hints of humor. Funny isn't funny without stakes. And no one cares about stakes unless you can empathize with the characters. The cast were told to play everything straight. VB: I know I'm going to watch this film with at least one of my dominatrix friends. What kind of research did you do into the world of professional BDSM for accuracy? RC: We attempted to be accurate at all times, and I had the script looked at by a producer of a show called "KinK." But at one point, this woman said to me, some of this would never happen (like submissives sending in their requests to be dominated via videotape). But she continued by saying that the way we were portraying it was very cinematic and more interesting than it is in real life. So keep it. And we did. VB: Did you have any preconceived notions about BDSM prior to the project, and if so, were they accurate? RC: If anything, I was struck by how average many of them were. Likable, funny in many cases and eager to help with the film. At the end of the day, people that I came across that are into the S/M scene are every bit like you and me. But the most interesting thing I noted was that dominants and submissives are definitely not limited to the world of S/M. I started to look around me as the movie was being shot and noticed that so many relationships -- straight, gay, platonic etc. -- involve a leader and a follower. My Thoughts: BDSM, a form of kinky sex in which one person rules over another or others, as a master, in short some people crave to dominate while others want to be dominated, in most part, a female will dominate over the male counterpart as a “Dominatrix” and by disciplining and humiliating the male into complete submission, this form of kinky sex is often depicted as taboo in the public’s eye due to its content of violence being done from one person onto another. I try not to have an opinion on the matter because I believe what people do in the bedroom is their own business, and as long as all parties are fully consenting to the act than it should be completely okay. Well with the film Walk All Over Me (2007) it tries to bring a sort of lighter side to S&M sex, however it can’t really be called S&M per se and it's not intentionally erotic at all really, it more or less a comedy about role playing and mind controlling while dealing with S&M in a dark comedy form. The film shows much promise from the very beginning and continues to shine through and through.