After hearing the controversy over the movies's explicit scenes I pretty much had Shortbus labeled as yet another boundary-teasing joke hiding under the guise of an art film. I was pleasantly surprised however to discover a softcore heart beneath the hardcore facade.
Yes the film might perform quite a precarious balancing act between art and porn, but I think it really depends on the person watching the film. Shortbus is, after all, an exploration into sex and how it unifies us as adults all seeking love and acceptance. It's a magical place where young, old, gay or straight, fat or thin can come (pun intended) and experience a life free from prejudice, united by a common need to be loved. The sex is entirely candid, but that is the nature of this movie's message. It has to have the overt frankness of a sex therapy session to really succeed in making the audience understand what it feels like to be so sexually liberated. We become voyeurs, peeking into this hidden, sensuous world through windows and behind pillars. The camera seldom lingers longer than it has to.
The sex is eclectic and not to everybody's tastes -homophobes, steer well clear! Certain parts will definitely arouse you, some will make you blanch, but you're watching to see a story unfold not to get your rocks off. It's presented in a fun way, mixing the tender, the naughty and the nasty with laugh-out-loud comedy, most notably in the gay threesome scene where The Star Spangled Banner is roared into somebody's ass! It's not puerile or cheap, but it makes it less threatening and accessible. When you see the actors really enjoying themselves and not just pretending to, that feeling transfers to the audience and makes those on screen seem so wonderfully ordinary.
These are characters who I honestly would love to get to know and hang out with. The script is largely improvised and there is true, raw emotion on display here. I felt sympathy for the characters as they navigated their snarled relationships. I felt the tenderness and the vulnerability that comes from being penetrated. I shared the emptiness and the failure felt when we live a life that we ourselves hate. I relished the warmth of being amongst friends and lovers alike.
If you can get past the glaring sexuality you might just allow yourself a trip into a floating world that makes you consider the importance of nourishing your own sexual existence.
Yes the film might perform quite a precarious balancing act between art and porn, but I think it really depends on the person watching the film. Shortbus is, after all, an exploration into sex and how it unifies us as adults all seeking love and acceptance. It's a magical place where young, old, gay or straight, fat or thin can come (pun intended) and experience a life free from prejudice, united by a common need to be loved. The sex is entirely candid, but that is the nature of this movie's message. It has to have the overt frankness of a sex therapy session to really succeed in making the audience understand what it feels like to be so sexually liberated. We become voyeurs, peeking into this hidden, sensuous world through windows and behind pillars. The camera seldom lingers longer than it has to.
The sex is eclectic and not to everybody's tastes -homophobes, steer well clear! Certain parts will definitely arouse you, some will make you blanch, but you're watching to see a story unfold not to get your rocks off. It's presented in a fun way, mixing the tender, the naughty and the nasty with laugh-out-loud comedy, most notably in the gay threesome scene where The Star Spangled Banner is roared into somebody's ass! It's not puerile or cheap, but it makes it less threatening and accessible. When you see the actors really enjoying themselves and not just pretending to, that feeling transfers to the audience and makes those on screen seem so wonderfully ordinary.
These are characters who I honestly would love to get to know and hang out with. The script is largely improvised and there is true, raw emotion on display here. I felt sympathy for the characters as they navigated their snarled relationships. I felt the tenderness and the vulnerability that comes from being penetrated. I shared the emptiness and the failure felt when we live a life that we ourselves hate. I relished the warmth of being amongst friends and lovers alike.
If you can get past the glaring sexuality you might just allow yourself a trip into a floating world that makes you consider the importance of nourishing your own sexual existence.