Sex sells. Everything. Period. So why should films be any different? Recently, popular films have taken an inventive approach on sex and sexuality. However, how far is too far?
In the past ten years, several high profile films have explored the border between pornography, sexuality, and art. Destricted (2006), for example, is a collection of seven short films with each director developing their own views on sex and pornography.
Another popular film directed by Lars Von Trier, AntiChrist (2009), after premiering at Cannes, split critics into two camps. Some hailed it as a beautiful piece of art exploring fundamental issues of mankind while others called it needlessly graphic, a disgusting piece of work. Every image of sex in AntiChrist is, however, tainted. The film opens on the characters He and She having sexual intercourse while their son dies nearby. From there on, the film deals with female sexuality as the female character, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, becomes wild, primal, the unrestrained facet of female sexuality. Von Trier gives us shocking images of female genital mutilation, full on penetration, as well as extreme scenes of sexual violence from the female character to the male. What makes both the violence as well as sexual scenes work in this film is that they lack the titillation or designer violence often scene in other films. They are simply there, integral to life.
Perhaps one of the most explicit films, Shortbus (2006) follows the separated yet integrated stories of Sofia, James and Jamie, Severin, and Caleb. Shortbus looks at human sexuality and its various forms, complexities and problems. Eventually, all of these characters make their way to Shortbus, an adult only playground. Even with copious amounts of sex, director John Cameron Mitchell’s film still holds an almost innocent and a happy idealism. The characters use sex as a way for communication and healing. Whether it’s Sofia finally reaching an orgasm or James struggling to let others in emotionally, sex becomes both a frustration and therapeutic. The sex is imbedded within the narrative and sex is just the vehicle. While pure might not be the best of words, sweet definitely fits the shoe.
With the popularity of exploring sexuality, it is only inevitable to see more and more films experimenting. Movies like All About Anna, 9 Songs, Ken Park, and Anatomie de l’enfer pop up more and more every day. At the same time, the past leaves us plenty of films to check out too; Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, Une vraie jeune fille, In the Realm of Senses, and The Idiots to name a few. In the end, these films prove there can be no limits, no barriers to good films. If the narrative is first and first most, then yes, sex is just another tool in the filmmaker’s toolbox.
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