Perhaps it was her plastic smile that seduced him. Or maybe it was the fact that she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
No matter the reason, the manager of an adult novelty shop falls in love with a sex doll after he names her and she comes to life … or at least she does in his head.
Audiences will enter into His and Hers Couples Boutique on Kirkwood Highway virtually when they watch the adult-themed romantic comedy “Boxanne,” premiering at the Theatre N in Wilmington on Friday.
The indie film will screen for only one day.
“Boxanne” was directed by Wilmington filmmaker Brian Wild, with the screenplay by Christy Wall and cinematography by Brian T. Skinner.
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The cast includes Patrick Ruegsegger as retail manager Dane Werther, Gabrielle Rambo as the loveable co-worker, Luke Nasty as the sage-like Panhandler, and Angela Marie-Teague as the voice of Boxanne, plus several other characters.
The project was filmed during the pandemic and funded by government relief checks.
Wild, 43, said the idea for the film started a few years ago when his then-girlfriend, now wife, told him about high-end sex dolls that arrived at her old job at His & Hers boutique, back when she used to manage the store.
“She came home and was like, ‘Oh my goodness, we got this realistic sex doll that came in a display and all this stuff, and the girls named her Boxanne. You should come check her out,” Wild explained.
So he went to the shop.
“I was like wow, I could write a whole film about this,” he said.
In the beginning, the film was going to be a 15-minute short. Then it grew to 40 minutes after the director’s wife, Heather Wild, put him in touch with the owner of adult-themed boutique.
‘There’s a sex scene’
The owner read the script and was shocked to discover the main character didn’t make love to Boxanne.
Wild was surprised by that reaction, because he didn’t think he’d have the freedom to film the doll outside of the store.
“He said, ‘Yeah, you can take the doll,’ ” Wild explained. “There’s a sex scene with the doll .. But that happened after he gave us permission to leave with the doll. That really opened the script up and let us have more fun.”
That led them to filming the doll in various locations, including Augustine Beach in Odessa.
Heather Wild worked at His & Hers boutique for 10 years, before leaving in 2021. She said a doll like Boxanne retails for around $2,200. But some companies offer customizable dolls where you can change features such as their eye color and hair. Those customizable dolls can sell for $6,000 or $7,000 easily, she explained.
The former His & Hers manager said she and her old co-workers came up with the name Boxanne as a joke, inspired by a popular 1970s song by The Police.
“We were just trying to be funny because she lives in a box and since it was an adult novelty store, we were thinking about ‘Roxanne’ turning on her red light. So she became Boxanne.”
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The film “Boxanne” has been submitted into 36 film festivals around the world. IndieX FilmFest, an international film festival based in Los Angeles, awarded them Best Actor for Patrick Ruegsegger’s role as the manager of the adult boutique.
Prior to being in this project, Ruegsegger of Claymont said he’d only seen high-profile sex dolls in an episode of “Real Sex” on HBO. The actor also heard about them being in the movie “Lars and the Real Girl,” but he never watched that film.
“Technology has really advanced since the days of the blow-up doll,” Ruegsegger said. “The first time I saw Boxanne, I was shocked at how real she looked; from a distance, a person could definitely be fooled.”
‘It’s healthier’
One of the things that surprised him most about acting in “Boxanne” was how mainstream adult boutiques have become over the years, because these days you don’t have to go to a sketchy part of town to find one.
“Now here we are in a storefront in the middle of Kirkwood highway, with real windows, carpet, neon ‘Open’ sign, not ashamed of what it is,” the Claymont actor said. “I think that it’s healthier to let people be free to explore their sexuality without feeling dirty or shamed.”
At the end of the day, the director of “Boxanne” said he’s excited about premiering his film at the Theatre N, which will be a red carpet event featuring vendors and entertainment.
If there’s anything that people should take away from “Boxanne,” it’s that the director doesn’t look down on anyone who prefers to be intimate with a silent partner.
“With sex dolls … I mean to each his own,” he said. “I don’t judge.”
The “Boxanne” red carpet will be held at Theatre N (1007 N. Orange St., Wilmington) at 6 p.m., Friday. The film screens at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more info, visit theatren.com or (302) 571-4075.
