Review: Shortbus

Sex in cinema. It’s always been a thing of controversy. And, if anyone needs clarification, I’m not talking about Scarlett Johannsen and Ewen Macgregor dry humping in front of Michael Bay. I’m speaking of actual, unsimulated, full on penetration sex. Many people you are going to hear from who have seen, or most likely just heard of, Shortbus, will say it’s just a porno, and a sick one at that. (For the record, was the previous sentence a run-on? It’s late and I don’t know much anymore.)

Director John Cameron Mitchell, who’s previous directing crediT (yes, that’s just a T and not a TS) includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and well, that’s it. Not having seen that (yes, shoot me) I didn’t know what I’d expect when walking into the theater.

I like to think of the first 5 minutes of this film as a filter for those who are open-minded to ideas of sexuality in film, and those who aren’t. In the first 5 minutes of this film, you will see the following: Urination, farting, a man fellating himself, the same man ejaculating in his own face, a couple having unsimulated sex, a bdsm scenario, and most notably, a man ejaculating onto what I think was a Jackson Pollack painting. If you can get past all that, then I think you’re definetely the type of person who would enjoy this film.

Shortbus is a film about contemporary relationships, plain and simple. Boy/girl, girl/girl, boy/boy, shemale/transgender/fox/cat/spitoon/spyrograph, they’re all here. The film follows three people: A sex therapist who has never experienced an orgasm, an extremely depressed homosexual male, and a female dominatrix who has never had a real relationship with someone. These people’s lives all collide at a local sex club called Shortbus, where people of all backgrounds come to engage in, well, “fun” activities.

I’m not going to spoil the film for you, but if you can get past the outright explicit sex in the film, and if you’re not a homophobe (most of the sex acts featured are done between males), then you will enjoy the film. The soundtrack is wonderful and the acting is surprisingly well done considering the qualifications needed to star in the film. I look forward to more of Mitchell’s work in the future, and I’ll have to go out and rent Hedwig and the Angry Inch now.

+1 for the amusing scene involving “The Star Spangled Banner”

9/10