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| Image courtesy of THINKfilm |
So many films become infamous for all the wrong reasons, causing many to discount or dismiss them. One word or scene can become a deal breaker for some, causing many to miss out on what the film is actually about or what it is trying to say.
Shortbus (2006) is one such film that could be dismissed for it’s content. Premiering almost 20 years ago, John Cameron Mitchell’s film contains un-simulated scenes of sexual intercourse and other sex acts that could cause many to dismiss it as ‘porn’. Mitchell addresses this by calling the explicit scenes not titillating but instead ‘a metaphor for other parts of the characters’ lives.’
The film follows different characters that all end up at thetitular weekly artistic/sexual salon in New York City. Live music, burlesque shows, and different rooms for various sexual activities bring these characters together to explore themselves and more fully accept their status as being on the ‘shortbus.’ The film’s title is a dated slang term to describe the smaller, shorter school bus used to transport students with special educational or physical needs.
Well known at the club are the ‘Jameses’, a gay couple consisting of James, a former street hustler, and Jamie, who are considering opening up their relationship. They seek help from Sofia, a sex therapist/couples counselor, who is experiencing her own sexual issues. After a hilarious scene of Sofia getting into a shouting match with Jamie and then slapping him during a session, she reveals that, though very sexually active with her husband, she has never had an orgasm.
The Jameses then invite Sofia to Shortbus, where she meets dominatrix Severin, who is lurking in the shadows of a women-only room and takes a Polaroid of Sofia during a vulnerable moment. The dominatrix is yearning for a ‘normal’ relationship or just friendship where she doesn’t have to be abusive and maybe even go by her actual name.
Also lurking on the sidelines in the club is Caleb, a work-at-home copyeditor who lives across the street from the Jameses and is good with a camera and binoculars.
All of these characters go to the club, looking for various things: some to maintain status or find a third, some to problem-solve, and some to find a genuine human connection.
Assuming that joining an orgy at a sex club is the solution to everyone’s problems would be reductionist-ic, similar to assuming that this film is only about the explicit acts seen in it. This kind of thinking could be equal to assuming that The Lord of the Rings is about a birthday party for a short introvert with hairy feet.
As Mitchell mentioned earlier, the films’ more explicit elements do become a metaphor and device for character development and plot continuation. One literal device creates a very funny sequence and reference to another sexually explicit film, In The Realm of The Senses. Sofia and her husband go to Shortbus with a remote controlled vibrator in the shape of an egg and use it as a way to communicate with each other while there.
The film’s climax truly illustrates the club’s function: the radical equality and acceptance of everyone’s sexual shortcomings and needs. When Sofia reveals her ‘pre-orgasmic’ status to people at the club, she is not shunned; she is invited into conversations that help her explore and investigate it.
Though these themes help to make the movie timeless, this is also a great time capsule in that it’s part of the post-9/11, NYC film genre. Similar to 25th Hour, Shortbus contains a scene in a room that overlooks Ground Zero (before the current memorial was constructed); Severin is laying out her equipment in preparation for a session with a client in front of a window with that view.
If you’re able to see the explicit sex as a legit and necessary plot device, then Shortbus will become a hilarious, moving, and radically inclusive acknowledgment of our imperfect humanity.
Shortbus is currently streaming on Kanopy.
- EB