I have a high tolerance for sexually-charged art, and I forget not everyone feels the same way.
When I managed an independent video store in my 20s it had a section in the back (behind a black curtain) for adult movies. Every few months a “Karen” type would grab one of the VHS boxes and bring it to me in demonstrable fury.
“How could such a thing like this be here in this store?”
I’m more sickened by murder and violence than the appearance of a woman’s breast, but I seem to be in the minority.
Movies featuring “graphic content” often get passed over by mainstream audiences, or the erotic portions become the primary focus. That means audiences and critics miss the subtle nuances and, dare I saw, potential genius of the films in question.
For example, I just rewatched Australia’s “Sleeping Beauty” from 2011 and I was blown away by how well it has held up (its stark soundtrack alone is revelatory). It also reminded me just how wrong critics where back then in their reviews.
Major to Minor Spoilers Ahead:
Lars Von Trier made his brilliant Depression Cycle (“Nymphomania,” “Melancholia,” “Antichrist”) and all three films were misunderstood. “Nymphomania” ultimately (despite its sexual content) is about the mystery and misery of losing of a parent.
“Melancholia” offered a thoughtful meditation on the rage of not being seen.
“Antichrist” explored the isolating nature of sex and mental illness. All three are great films, but “Nymphomania” is the best of the Depression Cycle.
Gaspar Noe’s films (“Love,” “Irreversible,” “Climax,” “Enter the Void”) are often complex, dark, edgy, and violent but they’re always marked by humor. “Love” is very much a dark comedy and finds humor in the dumb and often tragic mistakes we make while in love.
While “Irreversible” delivers a black comedy about how revenge never works out, “Climax” examines betrayal from unexpected sources. “Enter the Void,” in turn, deals with forgiveness.
Each is rooted in the choices we make and the humor of our sure defeat.
“Cashback” explores the deeper philosophical question of just how responsible are we for someone’s subjective experiences of us and the how objectification is the source of art. Yet that objectification isn’t the same as dehumanization.
Which brings us to “Sleeping Beauty.”
There is a lot going on with the film, far more than what meets the eye (which is a lot of a naked Emily Browning). It’s more than an adult fairy tale as there is something more sinister at play than the monster of patriarchy.
Everyone in this film isn’t who they seem to be or say they are. There’s a mythical element to every character when you slow it down and pay attention.
Some things to think about if you watch “Sleeping Beauty”:
Early in the film the second escort leaves the grounds screaming. The same happens with Lucy (Browning) but remember, and this is important, she was woken up on purpose. I’m guessing the other escort was as well.
It seems that part of the deal the patrons make is a kind of “screw you” to youth. The old men seem to be saying, “Yeah you’re young now, but it will end, and here’s my dead body to prove it!”
Right?
Also why the virginal aspect?
They make a point that there won’t be penetration with the escorts, but it’s not like what they are doing is that moral to begin … why?
I think it speaks to a deeper notion that none of this is about sex but about the envy the elder has of the young and a desire to corrupt that on some level.
Who in this movie is living their best life? One person at the bar says, “I’m pretending, everyone is pretending, even Birdmann.” This is also a theme… that being a 20-something means having to navigate a world you didn’t build and you’re waking up in someone else’s dream.
Each of these movies is worth your time and there’s a lot more going on than excessive T&A… trust me.
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