THE LOSS OF SEXUAL INNOCENCE (R). (Columbia Tristar) Director: Mike Figgis Stars: Julian Sands, Saffron Burrows, Stefano Dionisi, Kelly MacDonald, Gina McKee, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Bernard Hill, Rossy De Palma Running time: 105 minutes.
Despite an intriguing sounding title, this is boring pretentious twaddle of the highest order!
British director Mike Figgis alternates between high profile Hollywood productions such as Mr Jones and Internal Affairs, etc, and more personal projects. This low budget film is something of an experiment for Figgis, and seems clearly destined for the art house crowd.
This supposedly semi-autobiographical film follows the life story of documentary film maker Nic (Julian Sands), from his early childhood through to the present day. However, it unfolds in a series of allusive montages, with a heavy emphasis on those encounters that shaped his sexual outlook and personality. A parallel subplot also follows twin sisters (played by Saffron Burrows, from Deep Blue Sea, etc), who are separated at birth and nearly meet again in an African airport.
However, the film is virtually plotless and wordless, and unfolds in a frustratingly non-linear fashion, offering up a multi-media montage of dream sequences, flash backs and memories. Figgis constantly switches between time frames and narrative threads without any discernible rhyme or reason, which will frustrate and confound most audiences. To further confuse the tangled threads, the film also intersperses the central narrative with a rather fanciful modern day retelling of the story of Adam and Eve and their fall from grace in the garden of Eden.
Neither Sands nor Burrows seem to understand the complexities of Figgis' intricately constructed film, and this is reflected in their lacklustre and uncertain performances.
The Loss Of Sexual Innocence is something of a labour of love for Figgis, who has been developing this film since 1982. Unfortunately, most audiences will not share the same passion. Its challenging structure and deliberately slow pace will leave most audiences cold and unimpressed. Benhoit Delhomme's cinematography is at times quite beautiful, and creates some striking images. However, that is one of the few positive aspects of what is basically a bewildering, obtuse, overly self- indulgent and ultimately dull cinematic experience.
dud! greg king http://www.netau.com.au/gregking
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