Shortbus (2006)

Director:

John Cameron Mitchell

Writer (WGA):

John Cameron Mitchell (written by)

Release Date:

6 October 2006 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Voyeurism is Participation

Plot:

A group of New Yorkers get caught up in their romantic-sexual milieu converge at an underground salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.

Plot Keywords:

Depression | Dominatrix | Sex | Loneliness | Rescue From Drowning

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Sook-Yin Lee	...	Sofia
Paul Dawson	...	James
Lindsay Beamish	...	Severin
PJ DeBoy	...	Jamie
Raphael Barker	...	Rob
Peter Stickles	...	Caleb, the Stalker
Jay Brannan	...	Ceth
Alan Mandell	...	Tobias, the Mayor
Adam Hardman	...	Jesse, the John
Ray Rivas	...	Shabbos Goy
Bitch	...	Bitch / Shortbus House Band
Shanti Carson	...	Leah, the Beautiful Couple
Justin Hagan	...	Brad
Jan Hilmer	...	Nick, the Beautiful Couple
Stephen Kent Jusick	...	Creamy

Also Known As:

The Sex Film Project (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Canada:R (British Columbia/Ontario) | Finland:K-18 | UK:18 | Australia:R | USA:Unrated | Germany:18 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:15 | Norway:18 | Italy:VM18 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:(Banned) | Japan:R-18 | Ireland:18 | South Korea:Limited (original rating) | Argentina:18 | France:-16 (with warning) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (2009)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

THINKFilm

Trivia:

To make the actors more comfortable, the director and the cameramen were stripped naked while filming the orgy scene.

Goofs:

Continuity: Caleb is sitting in a chair in the background when Jamie asks James if James still loves him. In a reaction shot, Caleb is standing in a doorway.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jesse, the John: Are you a top or a bottom?
Severin: I beg your pardon?
Jesse, the John: I mean in real life.
Severin: This is real life.
Jesse, the John: Let me put it this way: do you think we should get out of Iraq?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Starz Inside: Sex and the Cinema (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby

a road story with a difference.

There are a couple of features about this movie that will hit you. Yes there is some rather graphic sex, but to anyone after hitting adulthood it works purely to support the film, erotic would be too strong a word for it. It is to everybody's' credit that this was possible. The model of New York works great and is a real devise for the movie.

As we progress through the film we see the lives of a small group of New Yorkers grow as they develop their relationships or indeed the quest for a relationship. The medium for bringing these lives together is the "Shortbus" club. A rather carnal club which they all drawn to becomes a focus for their development. Each confronts their own particular daemons. As heavy as this sounds, it is quite a light hearted film. The closing scenes are fantastic. As you watch this film you will feel yourself being dragged in, until the end when u feel almost as if you are part of it.

A great movie, one which should become a cult classic (only because it might be a bit too "graphic" for mainstream cinemas, but certainly a classic. Any attempt to sanitize and edit it would surely destroy the film.

This movie will make you laugh, cry and sing; you will leave the movie theatre affected by this film.