Movie review: Shortbus

"Shortbus" is a funny, painfully honest look at the sexual lives and relationships of a group of New Yorkers, gay and straight, who meet in the infamous underground salon Shortbus. The acting is a little uneven, but the actors are so open and likable (and daring) that you forgive them, and come to care about them. In the end, this isn't a movie so much about sex as it is about isolation, loneliness, and people's attempts to connect.

Note #1: Be warned, this is so NOT a first-date movie. You'll see full-frontal nudity, male and female, and a variety of unsimulated (and often amazingly gymnastic) sexual antics. All within the first 5 minutes.

Note 2: Despite note #1, the nudity and sex aren't necessarily erotic. That's according to my husband, who could barely tear his eyes away from the PowerPoint presentation he was working on.

So much for my attempt to NetFlix a movie that would a) appeal to my interest in art-house movies and sex while b) appealing to my husband at the same time. ("Honey! It's about sex! There are naked people having sex! Look!")

Once again, the question: What's the difference between erotic, and pornographic? I just wish there were more movies like this--that dealt openly with sex, without the soft-focus titillation of most Hollywood efforts. I'm also wondering why a movie like this has to released unrated, while splatter porn like "Hostel 2" gets an R. But that's a topic for another post.

(Photo courtesy of idealterna.)