Early internet porn, Nancy from Stranger Things, masturbation, it’s easy to see why Karen Maine’s YES, GOD, YES has racked up two million views on Vimeo. Described by its creator as “a love story between one woman and her vagina”, it’s a film that may sound crude or controversial when summarised on paper, by when watched, you might be surprised by just how charming and “touching” it is.

As the playful title suggests, the film focuses on a girl conflicted by her natural urge to indulge in a little self love and the message from her Catholic school that “sex with yourself” is “against God’s plan”. Tackling the subject of masturbation from a female point-of-view, with the hope that “talking about these things, and showing them in film, is what will make them less taboo going forward”, where Maine’s film feels most successful is in just how accessible and relatable is.

I have to admit, when writing this review I was debating whether to mark it with the NSFW tag (I mean there are some still images of topless women in the film!!), but it’s just so damn charming, it didn’t feel right. There’s a certain ‘wholesome’ vibe to the whole thing that just draws you in and makes you want to discuss it. Even when the film was trending on Reddit, people were commenting on “what VHS tape the car scene from Titanic was on” & “what kind of psychopath eats half a Cheeto and puts it back in the bowl?”, so the film is undoubtedly a conversation starter.

Last we heard, Maine was now searching for funding for a feature length version of YES, GOD, YES, which she describes as containing “lots more jokes and lots more tools she uses to masturbate with, including an old Nokia cellphone that she realises vibrates while she’s at a Catholic youth retreat”. If that description and the popularity of this short online doesn’t help find her funding then I don’t know what will.