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Loving puts your heart at risk

Peter Shelley | Sydney, New South Wales Australia | 11/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Apart from featuring constant screen cigarette smoking, this Australian film directed by John Curran defies expectations. Set in a Brisbane boarding house it presents Peter Fenton as an asthmatic who begins a romance with eczema sufferer Sacha Horler. Curran's formal style lessens the grunginess of the locale, though at times he overdoes the soundtrack with aural effects, so we can concentrate on the phenonema of the relationship. What is remarkable about the treatment is that neither of the characters are shown to be losers, in spite of their physical challenges. Rather there is much emphasis on flesh, in particular Horler's physical insatiablity and the demand it makes on Fenton. In response to Horler's comment that she thinks herself "hideous", Curran cuts to a crowd's apparent look of disapproval which is later revealed to be their fear of being group photographed.
In spite of the suggestion that Horler is a monstrous child/woman, the actor invests her with a vulnerability that is very appealing. And Fenton's tenderness is also pleasing.
The film suffers without Horler, and Curran doesn't know how to end, which may be the fault of the source novel by Andrew McGahan. Depicting residents of a boarding house as men without dreams or levity is perhaps too easy, but at least we get to see a physical transformation. Curran repeats one set-up from a longer shot, which predetermines the ending, and provides an amusing if inexplicable parallel between the boarding house and a hospital ward after hours."

Wicked Fun!!

Peter Shelley | 01/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Frankly this movie should have been rated triple X. There is a ton of sex in this film and when there isn't sex, people are talking about it. But that's not what made the film interesting. The lead characters Gordon and Cynthia are lovers with the setting in an Australian squat. They're a mismatched couple to the T. Gordon is shy and has to be told what to do at every moment. He regrets this when he hooks up with Cynthia, a young waitress who has to have sex or she feels she's going to die. The two begin on a turbulent realionship because their feelings about intercourse couldn't be more different. Gordon doesn't enjoy sex that much. Cynthia loves it and has to have it every second. So after weeks of Gordon giving into her constant sexual requests, Cynthia turns up pregnant. They decide to have an abortion. Gordon is happy because this means he gets four weeks off. But the moment Cynthia is allowed to have sex again, she's on Gordon faster than a fly is on a wall. It's clear that Cynthia has some deep issues to deal with. She thinks sex is love. She feels Gordon only loves her when he's intimate with her. Gordon figures out that he doesn't really love Cynthia at all. She's physically draining and mentally dangerous to his health. Cynthia leaves Melbourne never to see Gordon again. And of course he misses her immediately after she leaves.Great acting. Great realization. Realistic dialogue.
Word of warning: this film is not for anyone who isn't comfortable with people talking graphically about sex. This film takes dirty talk to another level and it can only be respected if you can take it. If you subtract all the sex, it's a very touching love story. I admit after the fifth sex scene I wanted the characters to surpass that but they never did. If you see the movie you'll understand how two lonely people use sex to control one another. A riveting film. Not for the kiddies."