Shortbus
I'm very interested in the subject of sexuality and our interaction with it. It is in our nature to be sexual and yet we fight it tooth and nail. We focus on it, giving it an importance that no other bodily function or instinct has ever gotten. We talk about it, we think about it, we reject and we embrace it. I find the subject endlessly fascinating which is perhaps why I'm so fascinated by porn stars. I find porn itself pretty unappealing however. It's not that I find sex itself disgusting. I just don't find the pornographic perspective to be erotic in any way. Harsh close ups of shaved gentalia and flying bodily fluids just doesn't do it for me not to mention the fact that every scene culminates with the male orgasm. I think a lot of women feel that way. A lot of men probably feel that way too but in general men's tastes are reflected in current porn trends since that is who it is marketed towards. So why, as la_scherazade so wisely asked, can't we have good solid plots with explicit sex and beautiful people?
Shortbus takes this notion and runs with it. The making-of featurette, which I found just as interesting as the film, talks about the process of making the movie and finding actors who would be willing to have real sex on camera. Instead of writing a script and then hiring actors to fill roles, the director worked from a slightly different angle, hiring the actors and then workshoping together a script. He gave the actors the task of writing their charaters and paired each couple or couples up according to attraction. I thought that was probably the most interesting part. The director was adamant that the actors feel as comfortable as possible and even participated in the orgy scene as a way to say, hey I'm in this with you. Yes you read that right, an orgy scene. A beautiful one actually. It reminded me of an Ingres painting with layer upon layer of flesh and movement. It was made up of couples of all kinds; all genders, sizes and colors.
Shortbus begins with the focus on three couplings; two long term boyfriends, a married couple and a dominatrix and her client. In each situation we find that one person is unfulfilled in someway and searching for something elusive. Sophia is a couples counselor who has never had an orgasm. James is putting together a video diary for his boyfriend to find after he kills himself and Severin feels trapped by her life. As their lives intersect at the Shortbus (a club where the kids who don't belong come to play, hence the name) they grow and change and perhaps even find what they are looking for. The plot is interesting but mainly character driven and meanders it's way along without too much purpose. It's both funny, poignant and bold but not in your face. It's realistic but told with a touch of fantasy. What I really liked was all the peripherial stuff; the things going on on the fringes of the main action. I found the club itself to be strange and beautiful and the phrase, "I think someone just came on the cat!" left me in stitches.
I feel like I can't really do justice to the ending which brings the movie full circle, without spoiling it for you. I will say that the female orgasm has never been portrayed in quite the same way, if at all. Overall the movie should be seen by people and talked about. Go rent it! Unless you're under 18 of course!! Well you could I guess but don't tell someone I told you to. ;)
Shortbus takes this notion and runs with it. The making-of featurette, which I found just as interesting as the film, talks about the process of making the movie and finding actors who would be willing to have real sex on camera. Instead of writing a script and then hiring actors to fill roles, the director worked from a slightly different angle, hiring the actors and then workshoping together a script. He gave the actors the task of writing their charaters and paired each couple or couples up according to attraction. I thought that was probably the most interesting part. The director was adamant that the actors feel as comfortable as possible and even participated in the orgy scene as a way to say, hey I'm in this with you. Yes you read that right, an orgy scene. A beautiful one actually. It reminded me of an Ingres painting with layer upon layer of flesh and movement. It was made up of couples of all kinds; all genders, sizes and colors.
Shortbus begins with the focus on three couplings; two long term boyfriends, a married couple and a dominatrix and her client. In each situation we find that one person is unfulfilled in someway and searching for something elusive. Sophia is a couples counselor who has never had an orgasm. James is putting together a video diary for his boyfriend to find after he kills himself and Severin feels trapped by her life. As their lives intersect at the Shortbus (a club where the kids who don't belong come to play, hence the name) they grow and change and perhaps even find what they are looking for. The plot is interesting but mainly character driven and meanders it's way along without too much purpose. It's both funny, poignant and bold but not in your face. It's realistic but told with a touch of fantasy. What I really liked was all the peripherial stuff; the things going on on the fringes of the main action. I found the club itself to be strange and beautiful and the phrase, "I think someone just came on the cat!" left me in stitches.
I feel like I can't really do justice to the ending which brings the movie full circle, without spoiling it for you. I will say that the female orgasm has never been portrayed in quite the same way, if at all. Overall the movie should be seen by people and talked about. Go rent it! Unless you're under 18 of course!! Well you could I guess but don't tell someone I told you to. ;)