Dependencia sexual (2003)

Director:

Rodrigo Bellott

Writers:

Rodrigo Bellott (writer)
Lenelle N. Moise (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Bare your body, bare your soul.

Plot:

Five teenagers in the U.S. and Bolivia try to make sense of their sexuality and the complexity of their identity.

Plot Keywords:

Sexuality | Teen | Rape | Gay | Virgin

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Alexandra Aponte	...	Jessica
Roberto Urbina	...	Sebastian
Jorge Antonio Saavedra	...	Choco
Ronica V. Reddick	...	Adinah
Matthew Guida	...	Tyler
Matt Cavenaugh	...	Sean
Rodrigo Mendez-Roca	...	Fabian, Sebastian's Cousin
Liv Fruyano	...	Love, Choco's girlfriend
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Budd	...	Nick
Damien Carter	...	Jeremiah
Pablo Fernandez	...	Joaquin, Fabian's best friend
Elba Flores	...	Mrs. Lopez, Isabel's Mother
Ronald Flores	...	Josue, Jessica's classmate
Ignacio Ichazo	...	Chichito
Malinda Logan	...	Obnoxious R.A.
Arturo Lora	...	Jessica's Dad
Yuri Lora	...	Drag Queen #2
Franco Nogales	...	Mr. Lopez, Isabel's Father
Fred Nunez	...	Drag Queen #1
Sandra Paz	...	Clemencia, the Prostitute
Chichita Pena	...	Choco's Mom
Ryan Prosser	...	Gay Activist
Rodolfo Quizbert	...	Profesor, Jessica's Teacher
Carlos Rocabado	...	Dante
Charitio Rojas	...	Jessica's Mom
Maria Elva Saucedo	...	Isabel, Jessica' friend
Eliana Sosa	...	Camila
Carolina Suarez	...	Guadalupe
Javier Yabeta	...	Jessica's Brother
Jared Zeus	...	Tyler's Boyfriend

Also Known As:

Sexual Dependency (International: English title)

Runtime:

104 min | Finland:110 min (VHS version)

Country:

Bolivia | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 (video rating) (2006) | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R21

Filming Locations:

Bolivia

Company:

BoSD Films LLC

A missed opportunity

I think this could have been a good film, but, as others have mentioned, the split-screen 'style' (?) is incredibly annoying over 100-odd minutes of watching, or, in this case, watching TWICE. That adds up to 200-odd minutes of watching five different stories, all while distracting you with camera gimmickry.

In the mid-1960s, a graphic designer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada named Chris Chapman created the split-screen idea for a short film on the Province of Ontario for the provincial government. It was a sensation at Expo '67 in Montreal, and was such a novel idea that Toronto director Norman Jewison (and others) used it in 1960s films.

The idea, predictably, went nowhere. It was trendy, had flair, but was not sustainable over the length of an entire film. Jewison used it sparingly in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), and it annoyed critics even then. And here, almost 40 years later, we have a director who thinks it would be a great idea to try it again, this time (unlike Jewison, who was far more judicious) over the ENTIRE STRETCH of a movie.

I was astounded that this was done. It defies basic physical laws. The human eye just cannot catch up with a blizzard of jump cuts (and that's what they really amount to) over a feature-length. Instead of intensifying the drama, it instead made me truly irritated.

Repeat: I THINK this could have been a good film. Or is that films, as in plural?