Shortbus (Unrated) | DVD Review

I can’t speak for all the ladies out there but there comes a point in every boy’s life when he discovers he has a penis and how good it feels to lavish said penis with much attention. Sadly, the realization that there is more to life than satisfying your penis’ urges does not subsequently occur for every boy. In the opening scene of John Cameron Mitchell’s provocative new film, SHORTBUS, James (Paul Dawson) sits immersed in his bathtub. He has a video camera in hand and it is not long before he turns his focus to his flaccid member. What follows is a pulsating montage that introduces most of the film’s other players and sets the tone, announcing in a barrage of eruptions exactly what to expect. Broken up by sweeping spurts of an animated New York City (strikingly done by John Bair), James bends over backwards for some good old fashioned auto-fellatio until his boyfriend, Jamie (PJ DeBoy), comes home; sex therapist, Sofia (Sook-Yin Lee) gets busy with her husband (Raphael Barker) all over their apartment before she fakes an orgasm rather convincingly; and dominatrix/prostitute, Severin (Lindsay Beamish), whips her latest John while he asks her views on world events and adds his own, uh, personal squiggles to the Jackson Pollock above his bed. There is no use hiding the sex in a movie about sex and you know instantly whether this is a movie for you or not. Sex controls these people’s lives. It motivates their decisions, stands in the way of their happiness and, for a little while, their frustrations become mirrors unto our own sexuality.

Writer/Director, John Cameron Mitchell is a man who clearly thinks about sex very often. That being said, he clearly doesn’t just think about it with the head between his legs but the one on top of his shoulders as well. His previous feature film, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (which he also wrote and starred in), smashed walls surrounding gender identification and forced people to see the person and not just the genitalia. With SHORTBUS, Mitchell dives deeper into desire, sexual identity and the emotional connections we try to make through physical intimacy. The DVD release of SHORTBUS is something of a celebration. It had its premiere at Cannes, where it was applauded for its openness and tenderness, drawing comparisons to Woody Allen. When it came time for its American release, the film that was not well received. It was welcomed with controversy, shame and scolding for its usage of actual sex on screen, which made it near impossible for the message of the film to shine through. It played on 67 screens at the height of its popularity and grossed under 2 million dollars. Even if you aren’t easily swayed by controversy, the sexual imagery, the realness of it, is hard to get past right away. SHORTBUS almost requires multiple viewings to allow its tranquil exploration of the human soul to come to light.

The DVD extras also lend a great deal of weight to a film that is unique but flawed at times. “Gifted and Challenged: The Making of Shortbus”, is a thorough explanation of how this film was conceptualized. Essentially, 500 people responded to a web site entitled, The Sex Film Project. The candidates were whittled down to 40 and they were each invited to mingle with each other in order to ascertain who had the most chemistry. Once the cast was in place, they were involved in a two-year workshop to develop the script into something that the actors would feel comfortable and natural about. The featurette also provides numerous interesting tidbits regarding the casting of the “sextras” (including Mitchell experimenting with a woman for the first time in his life) and Lee’s battle with her employer, CBC, over whether a prominent radio host should be making such a risky film.

There are about 10 deleted scenes with commentary from the director and the cast that actually serve to give more insight into the character development. There is an experimental mini-doc about shooting the orgy scenes that is sadly less satisfying than one would expect. The initial theatrical and internet trailers are available, showing the difference between venues that have censors to answer to and those that don’t. There is also a feature commentary with the director and a few key cast members that demonstrates what is perhaps most endearing about this film. There may be some bumpy moments in SHORTBUS but there is no question that the process brought together some very eclectic individuals, all concerned with art and provocation and all bonded to each other by the entire experience.

SHORTBUS is not without its shortcomings. The DVD experience though shows more heart than what comes across on screen, making it all the more touching. Regardless, given that the film is trying to delineate between the physical and emotional permeation of one’s body and soul, just scratching the surface is not enough. In that sense, SHORTBUS is like mediocre sex – it passes the time and it is enjoyable but it doesn’t make your body ache for more and everything you felt during is gone by the time you get out of the shower.

Movie rating – 3

Disc Rating – 3.5