SCREEN

9 SONGS

Josh Bell

For years, filmmakers have been flirting with including actual, nonsimulated sex in mainstream films, often with much hype and little payoff. Michael Winterbottom's 9 Songs makes a good case for why: It's as full of explicit, real sex as any porn film, but it's as tedious and ponderous and poorly lit as your average, boring art movie.


The film follows the relationship between Londoner Matt (O'Brien) and American expatriate Lisa (Stilley), who meet at a concert and have lots and lots of sex. When Matt and Lisa aren't having sex or discussing their dinner plans, they're at concerts featuring indie rock bands performing the nine songs of the title.


Almost as notable as the explicit sex is Winterbottom's decision to include each song in its entirety as essentially undiluted concert footage. If the sex is shocking at first and ultimately boring, the performances are just boring, shot at bad angles with worse lighting, worthwhile neither as concert footage nor as a tool to advance the thin plot.


Winterbottom gets credit for pushing boundaries, but unfortunately in doing so, he throws out story, character and even visual coherence. The result is a lot of panting, moaning and rocking that leaves its audience cold.

  • Get More Stories from Thu, Sep 15, 2005
Top of Story