Shortbus (2021)

Beautiful, moving film.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

SHORTBUS is very inappropriately tagged as a comedy. In reality, it is a rather depressing tale of the lives of ordinary people. People who are constantly on the lookout for love, and who find themselves questioning the very existence of it. The film explores the confusing boundary between love and lust, and how it affects our lives.A warning for the faint of heart: the movie is VERY explicit. If you can get past that, you will get to see the story of people who are being sucked into the spiral of life and sex. From the very first shot of the film to the last, it is a piece of art.My favorite was Paul Dawson's portrayal of the melancholic 'James' who, even though he loves his incredibly loving partner, can't seem to find happiness in his life. If you are in the mood to watch a unique and truly touching movie which rings true and melts your heart, this is the one to choose. You won't be disappointed.

Seeing Shortbus for the second time and reading a few reviews, it struck me that there's strong similarities with the Andy Warhol "presents" sex movies made by Paul Morrissey of the late 1960s.Filmed in the basement of his brownstone of 6th Street, 'Trash' became a cult, ultra-low budget underground movie, starring gay hustler Joe Dallesandro and featured absolutely natural full-frontal everything. 'Heat' and 'Flesh' followed and remained notorious fare for those 'who knew' for years.True, I have just been off at a tangent to the film in question but I think this connection is relevant and interesting; admittedly more to those old enough to know about and to have seen them. It does strike me that real people, from every sexual persuasion appear totally with their defences down - and a lot more - in Shortbus and in the drug-fuelled days of 1969, Underground New York similarly was a hotbed of "everything goes" sex.That's probably where the similarities do end, though - those 16mm fuzzy, grotesquely dingy home movies simply didn't live up to their hype and personally I don't rate them above novelty/historical status. Shortbus' flesh scenes though are clinically sharp, brightly lit and it's a 'proper' film, scripted, rehearsed (to a point....how many takes does a real sex act need?!) drama that peels away the facade of shallow and instantly gratification to provide a multi-layered emotional drama, that can be of surprising depth.I personally don't like the character of the Chinese-Canadian 'couples counsellor' (sex therapist, in real words) and her often aggressive stance puts a barrier between us and the other, more interesting and more complex characters. The gay couple who are the centre of the movie provide many interesting and challenging interactions and questions and are, actually very believable, whereas the Club is a carnal diversion that certainly adds spice and zest. The just post 9/11 time period casts an air of loss and uncertainty, making these often insecure souls even more so.Once you get over the misconceived idea that Shortbus is nothing more than a hardcore porn movie and is actually an extremely frank multi- relationship drama that happens to feature a lot of sex, then you're there, enjoying it and appreciating it. There maybe should a warning sticker on the DVD that says "Not all scenes contain sexual acts", because often, there's not.All-in-all a worthwhile, well made drama that will never be (thank goodness) for everyone but for those who do, it does pay dividends.

This is basically a explicit and crude movie that is like a porno except there is some story behind it than most porno. I don't know if the director is trying to be artsy but I just found most of the premise to be just plain vulgar instead of interesting. Especially the Asian girl in this, she was just plain creepy and gross and not attractive what so ever. Some guys would find her personality a turn on but the way she goes about it was just plain gross plus she isn't attractive at all. She is basically a couple counselor that can't get a orgasm and most of the screen time is on her. I give her credit for being ballsy enough to take this role though. The dialogue is bunch of people constantly talking about sex is a crude manner over and over again. It just wasn't all that insightful, the other characters is a couple of gay guys and one of them tries to make weird videos and tries to suck his own dick literally. Again with trying to be artsy and insightful, but it just isn't. I will say this movie was sort of interesting for a couple of minutes than it goes downhill from there, even if there are some slightly humorous scenes later on. Some gay viewers might enjoy this movie or at least the scene with bunch of naked gay guys screwing each other. Now I know this movie tries to bring sexuality in a positive nature like way, but it just doesn't do a good job in that department. I disliked every actress and actor in this movie and the script was just frustrating and when it's over it felt meaningless.3.6/10

Without a doubt, Shortbus warrants a spot on my list of "Best films of the decade." It is a masterpiece that so few get to admire. As Roger Ebert said, "It's not about sex, but sexuality; It's not about scoring but living..." The story revolves around a group of New Yorkers struggling with life and love, leading them all to intertwine in the underground sex salon called 'Shortbus.' The sexually explicit scenes are completely necessary in order to achieve what John Cameron Mitchell so valiantly tried and succeeded to. This film depicts an uncensored view of life, love, and sex with comedic undertones, and heavy subject matter that left me sobbing long after the movie had ended. Props to actress Sook-Yin Lee (Sofia) for a truly inspirational performance in the film. From process to product, this film is a work of art that ought not be ignored. The performances from the cast were astounding, the cinematography was a dream scape beauty, and the words were pure genius. I implore you... WATCH THIS FILM. It will change the way you look at life, and help open your mind. Thumbs up, five gold stars, the whole nine yards!