Search - An Existential Affair on DVD

Shiny leather boots and bullwhips...not

Marc Palmer | New Hampshire | 11/21/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I consider myself rather open-minded when it comes to independent or small label films, but there is a line I will draw clearly in the sand as to what is acceptable movie material and what isn't. "Existential Affair" crosses that line considerably in the "what isn't" category.

Looking like it was filmed on a cheap camcorder from dad's closet, to say the film and sound quality is bad is an understatement. I'm not sure what format this movie was originally captured in, but it's almost unbearable to watch. Grainy, flat, jerky, washed out and blurry about sums it up. The sound quality is pretty bad, too. Some might suggest this was done for "artistic feel," but there is a difference between artistic effect and bad quality. The way this film was captured is in the latter category.

I saw this film in blockbuster recently, right on the main shelf with the new releases, and I find myself asking how and why this poor excuse for a movie is given time and space next to professionally created industry films. Granted, the DVD cover looks sharp. On the front we're treated to the image of a woman's legs in black boots, something like what appears to be fall of a bullwhip spiraling on the floor between her feet, and a glimpse of handcuffs off to the lower right. Looking at this sleek and sexy cover, the buyer thinks he's in for an imaginative and sensual movie odyssey.

All I can say is, buyer beware. The sound and image quality is terrible, the acting horrible, the plot nonexistent, and the dialog so utterly redundant and unimpressive it was painful to watch.

If you are a BDSM enthusiast or someone who is developing a curiosity about it, you will be terribly disappointed with this movie; it offers nothing of any value, either intellectually or as an erotic novelty. There is not a single redeeming quality about this film. It is eighty-five minutes of bland, mind numbing pseudo-intellectual discussion, with a few poorly depicted scenes of what the director considers to be "bondage," which is not only laughable but so incredibly cliché and negatively stereotypical I found myself taking offense.

The makers of this movie are trying to cash in with a flashy title and sexy cover, but the actual content does not match at all. Frankly, giving this film one star is more than it deserves."

Edgy and artsy

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 11/01/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This film deals with the sexual rendez-vous of an ersatz heterosexual couple in the 1990s. The film gets it descriptor from the subject matter and sadomasochistic overtones, rather than due to nudity, of which there is little.
I think many viewers may be frustrated by the choppy movements and blurred visuals in the work. It was like watching something on the Internet at times. I interpreted this as its "indie" and "artsy" component. To some, the dialogue may seem meandering and pointless. But hey, that's "sex talk"! Remember what Jerry Seinfeld said about "the kind your mommy laid out for you"?
It's great that Anthony Quinn's son can move into his father's profession. However, he is shorter than his female lover and doesn't have a chiseled chest or Superman's looks. The female lead has a decent body, but it is clearer that of an older woman. In short, the director must have wanted "real-looking" actors. He obviously didn't want a pair who could have substituted from Pitt and Jolie in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Yes, this does seem to be influenced by Sartre's "No Exit." It may remind many viewers of sexual trysts from their pasts. This was an okay "erotic" work."

Garbage !

M. A Spitzer | Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA | 07/08/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I rate this 1 star and call it garbage not because of the racy subject matter (that COULD have been interesting), but because the film is unwatchable.

It looks like somebody took screen captures from a webcam to make the film.. fuzzy, jerky motion that is annoying to try and watch.
Almost like the movie is skipping every 3rd frame or running on an altered framerate or something.

The girl is sexy (in a skanky way)... but NO WAY would she mess around with the greaseballs cast in this film.

15 minutes of trying to watch and then EJECT !!

Video quality worse than a home movie."