Monday, May 17, 2010
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Monday, May 17, 2010
BLU-RAY REVIEW
9 Songs
Explicit Sex, Drugs And Rock
& Roll
Margo Stilley and Kieran O'Brien in Michael Winterbottom's 2005 film "9 Songs",
on Blu-Ray and DVD on May 18. Palisades
Tartan
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
FOLLOW
Monday, May 17, 2010
Michael Winterbottom has made an eclectic group of
films, directing such titles as "24 Hour Party People",
"A Mighty Heart" and the upcoming films "The Shock Doctrine" and "The Killer
Inside Me". The British filmmaker directed
"9 Songs", an unrated
independent film released in North America in 2005.
Starring Margo Stilley in her feature film debut and Kieran O'Brien, "9 Songs"
is a 64-minute film that hits DVD shelves tomorrow in the U.S. and Canada.
Billed as the "full uncut explicit version" and released by Palisades Tartan, it
contains actual intercourse and bodily fluids, and some will feel they are
watching pornography instead of a film.
Interspersed with great music from concerts by such rock bands as The Von
Bondies, The Dandy Warhols, the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Franz Ferdinand,
"9 Songs" chronicles the intimate relationship between Matt (Mr. O'Brien) and
Lisa (Miss Stilley) over the course of a year. Lisa is an American college
student on a vacation in London and Matt is a British glacial explorer who
spends time in the Antarctic. Despite cinema-vérité-type glimpses into
their relationship we know little about them, and we are unsure just how much
they know about each other. We see a small slice of their ordinary lives,
nothing more.
The narration by Mr. O'Brien is meant to contextualize or form a rounded
perspective of his character and existence but feels unnecessary, an intrusion
stopping Mr. Winterbottom's film in its tracks. There's no need here to
explain a character's trade or vocation. Matt and Lisa are lovers and they
do what lovers do: argue, love, drink, converse and share. The
performances of Miss Stilley and Mr. O'Brien are un-self-conscious and for "9
Songs" they have to be. The actors aren't aware of the camera at all.
"9 Songs", shot with hand-held high-definition video cameras, works best when
its focus is the concert music, which forms a safety net against the sexual
currents of the two main leads. The concert scenes are outstanding to look
at on Blu-Ray, and with the DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack you feel like an active
participant in them.
Mr. Winterbottom shows sex and sexual relations in an honest, adult way,
avoiding the clichés so often trapping sexual behavior on the big screen.
Here, no one gets killed in relation to sex, no one is caught with their pants
down. Sex isn't taboo here, and no one is covering their breasts or
penises. "9 Songs" isn't afraid of sex, nor does the film romanticize sex
for the sake of sex.
Other films like "9 1/2 Weeks" and "Wild Orchid" are empty, depressing Peeping
Tom-like exploitation shows, but "9 Songs" distances itself comfortably from
these, staying true to itself, even if it is an unremarkable, unexciting or
remotely titillating film overall.
"9 Songs" is not rated by the Motion Picture
Association Of America. It is sexually graphic and explicit, featuring
full-frontal male and female nudity, including shots of male and female
genitalia. Body fluids are also on display.
The film's duration is one hour and four minutes. The film hits DVD
shelves on Tuesday, May 18.
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