The publicity photos for Greta Zamparini’s one-woman performance feature her in a provocative pose with a stylish hat and raincoat; it’s a sexualised image that evokes Flashdance, 9½ Weeks and other erotic films. But Temporarily Yours is laser-focused on getting beyond clichés about human sexuality to look at how sex is used in everyday life; and it’s not a pretty picture.

The show is constructed from research and monologues created by Italian journalist Concita De Gregorio, interviewing women who have been involved in sex work, from escorts to street-workers, starting with a woman who accepts money from strangers for sex because she chooses to. That’s just one example of a variety of portraits, but what really elevates the show to more than just sex education is the final monologue. Dragging a melted chocolate across her cheek to simulate a scar, Zamparini evokes a young girl who is sold by her grandmother at 12 and experiences the worst of sex trafficking.

It’s an absolutely harrowing monologue that should trigger strong emotion; while some of the earlier scenes could use some polish, the last 20 minutes of Temporarily Yours offer the kind of intense, dramatic tension most Fringe shows would die for.

Temporarily Yours, Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 August, 1.15pm.