Lucas Kazan is often cited as a "better" director than many of his contemporaries not simply because of his technical skill, but because of his artistic philosophy. An unabashed romantic, Kazan approached adult film with the eye of a mainstream cinematographer. He drew heavy inspiration from the lush, visual storytelling of directors like Luchino Visconti and Pier Paolo Pasolini.

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That artistic choice is bold. It flies in the face of genre expectations. And it is precisely why the phrase exists. It is shorthand among connoisseurs for: "I appreciate narrative, atmosphere, and authenticity over crude explicitness."

There is a phrase in Italian: Il dolce far niente – the sweetness of doing nothing. This is the thematic core of the film. There is no rush, no plot urgency, no conflict.