Monday, June 18, 2007

Shortbus Isn't Sick... But I Am

Simon is ill; I have a shitty throat infection and hot flushes and am feeling lousy. I managed to get out of bed and get into work early but by lunch I had to go home. I sadly missed Book Group tonight where they were discussing the best book that we have read yet ‘Half a Yellow Sun’. Instead I have been watching ‘the most sexually explicit film ever’ Shortbus.

Shortbus caused a stir back in 2006 when it was released because it features people actually having sex. Naturally a lot of people went and saw the movie for that and it might have been one of the reasons that I bought it, maybe. I have to say though it’s a brilliant film. Ok there is a lot of sex in it, and I mean the works, but unlike ‘9 Songs’ which seemed simply designed to be shocking and had no real point, Shortbus has a story.

It tells of several characters who meet and all end up going to Shortbus a sexual and artistic gathering of minds in NYC. You have a gay couple who are looking to open up their relationship one of whom is suicidal. There is a sex therapist that has never had an orgasm, a dominatrix who simply cannot have a relationship with anyone and a host of other characters.

The film isn’t about the sex though. Yes sex is discussed a lot, but I think that is a good thing as people aren’t that open about sex in general despite how liberal we claim our country is. I mean look at how successful ‘Sex and The City’ was? It dealt with sex, women talking and having sex and was open and funny. Shortbus is like that with an edge and actual sex live in front of your face, but it’s nowhere near porn. It’s dealt in a good and real context and the sex is in it for a reason, not just to get bums on seats. It starts with the line ‘are you a top or a bottom?’ and then goes from there.

There are also some hilarious scenes amongst a truly touching and mind broadening story. One features three gay guys all at it while they sing the national anthem into various orifices, and using certain parts of the male anatomy as microphones. There is also a brilliant small story line involving a vibrating egg that has a remote control. It gets lost and used as a TV remote leading to a hilarious outcome which then twists into the egg being beaten to death with part of a staircase in a back street. I haven’t laughed that hard in ages.

So please see Shortbus, it’s brilliant. I actually wish that they would make a TV series of it. I know that no one would air it but it’s all about real life, real people and real problems. Much better than bloody Big Brother which frankly I don’t even want to talk about. Shortbus is wonderful it’s arty, edgy, funny, sad, tender and just brilliant.

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