When I heard that John Cameron Mitchell was working on a
film project that would feature real sex, I was intrigued,
but also a bit skeptical, as it looked like a study in substanceless
hedonism. Following up his masterful directorial debut, Hedwig
and the Angry Inch, would be anything but easy, but I
was pleasantly surprised by Shortbus, and found that
Mitchell lived up to my expectations by dealing with sex in
a responsible and realistic manner, similar to how he explored
gender in Hedwig.
The film follows several New Yorkers as they struggle to
find sexual satisfaction and discover how their own sexuality
fits into their relationships. The primary protagonist is
couples counselor Sofia (Sook-Yin Lee) who begins attending
an underground sex party called "Shortbus" in order
to experience her first orgasm. Other partygoers include the
gay couple Jamie and James (PJ DeBoy and Paul Dawson) who
seem to have hit a rut sexually, and decide to add a third
member (Jay Brannan as Ceth) to their relationship to spice
things up. With the help of dozens of sexually open friends,
some sex toys, and a stalker, Sofia and the Jamies discover
what role sex plays in their lives, both physical, emotional
and spiritual.
Over the last thirty years, there have been a number of movies
that utilize explicit real sex to make a point, most notably
Gore Vidal’s Caligula, but few have been as
successful and non-exploitative as Shortbus. In many
ways it provides a much more realistic portrayal of sex than
any film thus far. Whereas Caligula used sex as a
metaphor for the overindulgences of Rome, Shortbus
simply shows people exploring their own sexuality and working
to find how it fits into the rest of their lives.
The focus is less on the sexual acts themselves, as it is
on the emotional and psychological hang-ups and blocks that
exist in people of all walks of life which prevent them from
achieving truly gratifying romantic or sexual experiences.
Whether it’s James not wanting someone to know him intimately
both sexually and emotionally, or Sofia trying so hard to
come that she can never get there, each situation is dealt
with tenderly and realistically.
Performances (and I mean acting, not the other kind of performances
in the movie) are all top-notch. Mitchell was wise to use
amateur or non-famous actors in the roles because it adds
to the realism of the film. Paul Dawson provides the most
powerful performance, as the manic depressant James, and seems
to be the emotional core of the film. Likewise, former MuchMusic
VJ Sook-Yin Lee is marvelous as the frustrated Sofia, and
carries most of the film’s plot. The other noteworthy
acting job was executed by Lindsay Beamish as the troubled
dominatrix Severin. She expresses so much vulnerability and
injects just enough humor into her character that it’s
difficult not to be drawn to her.
I wouldn’t be doing the film justice if I didn’t
give props to the numerous extras (or “sextras”
as they’re officially called) who participate in the
orgy at Shortbus. Not only are they all real couples and thus
give off a true sense of sexual connection (which is so often
missing in real pornography) but many are quite attractive
and put on a captivating show. It’s easy to be desensitized
in modern culture to the true sensuality of a sexual encounter,
but the film exudes this energy, especially so in these scenes.
Mitchell made all the right decisions in how they were directed
and what was and was not overtly shown. The primary couple
(referred to as "The Beautiful Couple," and rightfully
so) portrayed by Shanti Carson and Jan Hilmer, were perfectly
cast as the centerpiece of this sexy tableau, and it’s
no surprise the both Sofia and the camera seem to focus on
them the most.
In true John Cameron Mitchell fashion, the film utilizes
animation as segue ways between parts of New York and different
characters, and serves as the key metaphor for the sexual
journeys the characters take. It’s quite different from
the hand-drawn animation that was so resonant in Hedwig,
but remains one of the more effective and memorable cinematic
elements of the film.
Shortbus is anything but universal
in its appeal, given the graphic nature of the sex and the
general public’s
notoriously closed minds, but its themes are about as universal
as they come. It is a true talent of Mitchell’s to
be able to tap into some spiritual ether and find the elements
of our humanity that connect us all, and explore the less-explored
areas of that connection. I wouldn’t say that Shortbus
is as emotionally powerful as the conclusion of Hedwig,
which ranks among my favorite films of all time, but it
is an artistic achievement worth more attention that it
has received in our moral-obsessed society. If this were
available to teens as they are defining their own sexualities,
I think we would have a generation of people without many
of the same emotional blocks and sexual misconceptions that
are rampant today. Shortbus
is a film not to miss, but perhaps not one to watch with
your parents.
