Anyone who likes movies and has watched a porno has thought: Jesus, why can't they make a sexually graphic film that actually has a plot and some decent acting in it? I like to watch people fuck as much as they next guy, but I wish the set-up to the sex in porno films was more interesting and realistic. Why does this seem so hard (no pun intended)?

Well, John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch") is the guy who finally gets this done and he deserves much kudos for doing it in a compelling and interesting way. This is not quite a porno but is about as close as a independent film has come since the 70's. Granted, along the cinematic route, there have been pitstops for Vincent Gallo's "The Brown Bunny" and Michael Winterbottom's "Nine Songs" (with Larry Clark in a close third and Bruce LaBruce bringing up the rear, so to speak).

Mitchell's story is paramount here. The sex is included because it is realistic and it is an important part of the story and helps to clarify the filmmaker's themes. This isn't just a porn with good acting, it's a film with sexual themes that uses images of real (not simulated) sex to tell the story. There is simply little else like it on the cinematic landscape.

We get two storylines here with much action (so to speak) in the periphery. The "straight" story involves a sex therapist (who prefers to be called a "Relationship Counselor") and her fiancé. Turns out that she has never really had an actual orgasm. Then there is the gay couple who find they are having trouble. One of them seems very needy and the other seems to want out of the relationship. As the film progresses, we will find that there is much more involved here than meets the eye. There are deep-seated complex issues going on here.

Eventually all of these characters, plus a whole tier of secondary ones, end up at a communal, sort-of hippy-esque, sort-of modern, brothel called Shortbus. (Look kids, it's "Cabaret" meets 70's porn). As we delve further into our characters, focuses on group orgies, 3-somes, vibrators, lesbianism, transgendered people, anonymous sex, bondage and prostitution will meet up with themes of individuality, isolation, commitment, relationships, sexual repression and sexual confusion. Pretty heady stuff for a sex film.

Mitchell made a big brouhaha a couple years back when he told the media he was trying to make a film with real sex in it and cast well-known actors. When all is said and done here, there isn't a single recognizable face in the ensemble. But this is actually a good thing. His unknowns in this cast, many of whom have been in several independent movies, bring a fantastic realism to the film. This reality coupled with Mitchell's look at fringe people, who many would call outsiders, and his complex themes of real emotional problems in his story makes for quite compelling viewing. Add this to lascivious actions of nearly every character in the film and you've got a film that is remarkable fresh and captivating.

This is one of the most amazing and remarkable films I've ever seen. Mitchell is one of the first filmmakers in history to truly present a film that explores the human condition as it relates to sexuality, to explore these themes using not only nudity but actual sexual acts, and to do so in a way that is lyrical and thrilling, while also being erotically charged and overtly sexual without making the viewer feel shocked or tricked. Winterbottom's "Nine Songs," ultimately feels forced and pornographic compared to this film. "The Brown Bunny" isn't really exploring themes of human sexuality in terms as complex as what Mitchell is doing here. LaBruce is campy and sarcastic; Clark too interested in teenagers.

With "Shortbus," Mitchell is laying bare real human emotions and feelings here - and while I intended a pun there - he never does. There isn't a false moment in the film. Nothing ever seems contrived here nor does it ever seem prurient.

Mitchell's characters may seem damaged and confused, but they are also lovable, likable and, above all else, salvageable. There isn't a fake moment in the film and Mitchell and his cast fly high above any film of this nature ever to be released. This is groundbreaking stuff and, as with "Hedwig," when Mitchell cracks open his characters, we may find much that troubles us, but we also find the shining light of hope. And that, more than anything, is what is truly remarkable about this film.

Notes:

Sook-Yin Lee, who plays Sofia the therapist here, was also in Hedwig. She plays Asian guitarist Kwahng-Yi. Miriam Shor, who played Yitzhak in "Hedwig," has a cameo role. Several of New York's gay scensters play themselves here. Director Jonathan Caouette has a cameo. Mitchell helped produce his film "Tarnation."

Original Music by Yo La Tenga.

Viewed in Austin in October of 2006 at The Arbor Theater.

Report Card

Script: A+

Acting: A+

Cinematography\Lighting: A+

Special Effects\Make Up: A+

Music: A+

Final Grade: A+