Shortbus Response

It was obvious to me after watching only the first few minutes of Shortbus that it is going to be an extremely explicit and controversial film. The big debate about this film is the use of real sex, which is contrary to most American films where sex is not displayed so openly. Films in America generally hint at sex and sometimes will have "sex scenes" where it's clear that individuals are having intercourse but actual penises and vaginas are usually never shown. The single American mainstream film that I can recall having similar sexual footage is Boogie Nights with Mark Wahlberg where Wahlberg plays an upcoming male porn star. Boogie Nights was pretty shocking to me during my only viewing (around 7 years ago) but if I remember correctly it doesn't even come close to the level of explicitness that we are exposed to in Shortbus. During this film we see real footage of real sex throughout the film's entire duration. Depending on whom you ask, this film could be labeled as "pornography." While everyone is entitled to their own views and opinions I would have to disagree with those who would label Shortbus pornography.

First, let's look at what we would refer to as "pornography." It's generally very direct and to the point. In modern pornography there isn't much of a storyline. Often there is no storyline at all. There are no characters, just individuals who are there to film some sort of sexual intercourse. There is a major emphasis on the use of the body. For example, if you ever walk into an adult video store many of the different genres of pornography are based on body parts (big butts, big breasts, big penises, etc.) The emphasis on the body is so big that many straight pornographic films don’t show the male partner’s face much (if at all.) To sum it up in a few words, what the audience sees is just pure sex and nothing else.

Now let’s take a look at Shortbus. Sure, there is plenty of sexual intercourse (some gay and some straight) but there’s much more to Shortbus than just sex. There are all the elements of your typical film- a storyline, character interactions, emotional expressions, etc. The emphasis isn’t on the bodies of the characters but rather on their emotions and problems. For instance, the character Sofia has never experienced an orgasm before and this clearly distresses her. Throughout the film, the camera follows her on her journey to achieve her first orgasm, which turns out to be a difficult task that she ultimately achieves. Another main character, James, is an ex-hustler who is in a relationship with another man, Jamie. Throughout the film the camera shows James recording himself with a video camera. James acts like he is making a film about his life but eventually we find out that the recording was to be used as a suicide note. He reveals after his failed suicide attempt that he recorded everything to let his boyfriend, Jamie, know that it wasn’t his fault that he killed himself. I could go further in depth about the characters, but the important thing to note is that all of the characters are intertwined and each of them are unique in their problems or struggles to achieve happiness.

So while Shortbus is certainly a sexually charged movie that seemingly holds nothing back from the audience, I find it unfair to label the production something as simple as pornography. It’s simply a film that blends comedy, drama, and sexuality with intertwining characters and an interesting storyline. Shortbus may not be for everybody because of its explicit content (which we don’t see in the mainstream) but it is far from pornography and doesn’t deserve to be categorized as porn.