John Cameron Mitchell gained fame for bringing his drag queen stage hit Hedwig and the Angry Inch to the big screen. Now he presents us with a group of New Yorkers trying to figure out the connectionif anybetween sex and love in Shortbus (opening October 19 at Landmarks Ken Cinema).
Living in the new millennium, we like to think that weve come a long way from things like the restrictive Hays Code that dictated what Hollywood could and couldnt show. In some ways we have come a long way, and films are able to deal with far more than they could in the past. Yet when it comes to sex, there are still taboos. We may not have a Hays Code regulating whats on screen but studios and filmmakers engage in plenty of self-censorship. Explicit sex in independent films is more rare now than it was in seventies moviemaking, and its practically nonexistent in mainstream films. For example, its difficult to imagine a major studio making Last Tango in Paris now.
Then along come John Cameron Mitchell and his sexually explicit film Shortbus . Variety called it The most sexually graphic American narrative feature ever made outside the realm of the porn industry. But whats actually surprising about Shortbus is not so much the sex and the fact that the cast engaged in real sex, but rather that its a funny film about sex and about people enjoying sex. If you think about sexually explicit films such as Last Tango in Paris or the more recent Brown Bunny, The Dreamers and Young Adam , they are all serious dark works in which sexual experimentation rarely leads to happiness. Having worked at a TV station where I had to censor theatrical films for air, I can attest to the fact that one of the things that management felt was most objectionable was people enjoying sex. Rapes scenes could often be left in a movie but never a woman enjoying an orgasmeven if you saw nothing and only heard the sounds of her pleasure. That being said, I would like to commend Mitchell for making a warm, funny and very human film about people who dont just want sex but want to enjoy sex with someone they love. What a concept!
The title Shortbus refers to an underground salon where one can find art, music, politics and a wide array of sexual activity. Its also where our group of native and adopted New Yorkers converges on a weekly basis. Its also a place where some can explore their sexual curiosities and try to work out their problems.
In an Associated Press interview, Mitchell has stated that he does not view his film as pornographicits not a film that's meant to arouse. We try to de-eroticize the sex to see what kind of emotions and ideas are left over when the haze of eroticism is waved away. This film isn't a one-night stand, it's a relationship, and by the end if you're thinking only about the sex, then you have a problem."
But when the film starts the characters are not just thinking about sex, theyre engaging in it. The film opens with James (a sweetly sad Paul Dawson) videotaping himself in the bathtub and then engaging in a limber display of self-stimulation that would impress Clerks Randall and Dante. His home video would seem narcissistic and pornographic except for the fact that James seems so deeply sad. His partner, though, who happens to be named Jamie (P.J. DeBoy), is his polar opposite emotionally. Jamie is hyper, extroverted and just wants to love everybody. After five years of a monogamous relationship, James suggests that they experiment with others and this leads to a hilarious group sex scene. Their experimentation also leads them to a sex therapist oh I mean a couples counselor named Sofia (Sook-Yin Lee who practically steals the film with her delightfully conflicted performance). She is a woman we have seen earlier in the film engaging in wild sex with her husband, trying various positions and moving through every room in the house. But we discover that shes never had an orgasm and has been faking them for years so as not to upset her husband. So the fact that shes a sex therapist, oh I mean couples counselor, proves to be deliciously ironic.
Rounding out the cast of characters are a handful of other characters exploring their sexuality in some way. Theres a dominatrix (Lindsay Beamish) who would love to find someone to carry on an intelligent conversation with or at the very least a man or a woman who can give her an orgasm, something shes only been able to give herself. Theres Ceth (Jay Brannan) who joins the two James for sex and a relationship. There are also peripheral but important characters like Justin Bond who runs Shortbus and a voyeuristic young man (Peter Stickles) whose motives are not what you might expect.
For his first film, Hedwig and the Angry Inch , John Cameron Mitchell placed himself at center stage and savored the spotlight. For Shortbus , Mitchell stays behind the camera and generously turns the focus on an ensemble of young actors. Mitchell collaborated with his cast to create the script, essentially allowing each performer to craft a character and then shape his or her fate. What they come up with is a group of flawed, damaged, funny and very appealing characters who win us over almost immediately. The film works best through humor, finding insights in a highly entertaining manner. Mitchell is less adept at the more dramatic turns in the story but nothing ever goes seriously wrong in this smartly crafted ensemble work.
Shortbus (unrated but no one under 17 will be allowed because of the sexually explicit material) is a rare film in that it explores the relationship between sex and love, and does so with humor and compassion. Im sure the graphic sex will offend some, and thats as it should be. Shortbus wants to push some buttons and defy some conventions and it cant do that without outraging someone. But if you look past the sex, youll find a very sweet tale of people trying to connect in meaningful ways. Go see this and enjoy.
Companion viewing: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Henry and June (the first film to receive the NC-17 rating), Last Tango in Paris
karen nava
October 25, 2006 at 05:33 PM
Love the review! I will see it. just moved into the area of the kensington.... get way to know the culture...
again, enjoyed the review
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Beth Accomando
November 04, 2006 at 03:32 AM
Glad you enjoyed the review and thanks for posting a comment. By the way, I'm envious that you live in Kensington near teh Ken Cinema and Kensington video. Enjoy your close proximity to great movies.
Jeff
August 10, 2007 at 03:46 PM
Love the movie and the review. I just saw it on DVD. I did find it to be funny and emotional without the preachy quality alot of films which have sex as a subject usually are.
Thanks
Beth Accomando
August 10, 2007 at 04:18 PM
I'm glad people are discovering this great film on DVD. Spread the word!
