[This review originally posted by Gummo in our forums. For a film as controversial as this with so many prominent people involved Destricted has been seldom seen and little discussed, hence I move the review up here to the front page ...]
From its ability to challenge and upset both the censors office and the mainstream press, I have always found the pornography/art debate an interesting one. Although a deeply subjective issue, a growing number of filmmakers utilise such material in their works to increasingly different effect. For instance: Carlos Reygada’s sublime take on spiritual redemption Battle In Heaven, contained explicit sexual content; Michael Winterbottom’s Nine Songs, proved to be a tedious exercise in pornographic mundinaity; Virginie Despentes’ & Coralie Trinh Thi’s Baise Moi, is a punch to the face in hardcore exploitation with a feminist agenda, and Catherine Breillat’s taboo crossing Anatomie de l'enfer, explored a deeply unpleasant side of onscreen sexuality - but it is interesting to see how more filmmakers are opening up to such content, not just in the west - but worldwide, with sex scenes in particular becoming gradually stronger in content and more frequent.
It is with that in mind that I was intrigued to see Destricted, an avant-garde collection of 7 short films from around the world, in which the artist was asked to create a short piece on ‘art and sexuality’, blurring the lines between art and pornography. As it is a piece of which is comprised of a number of independent works, I have broken down each of the segments individually:
Hoist
Matthew Barney, 2004, 14 min 36 sec
This sex/machinery amalgamation features a green man lubricating the drive shaft of an industrial deforestation machine, in a curious mesh of the organic body and machinery.
Balkan Erotic Epic
Marina Abramovic, 2005, 13 min
An often humorous piece on sexuality in Balkan folklore, in which a number of folktales/myths are first introduced by its dead pan presenter, before being re-enacted using both live action and the occasional crudely animated moment.
House Call
Richard Prince, 12 min
A simple homage to 80’s porn; this is a grainy slice of XXX ultra cheese set to a distorted soundtrack.
Impaled
Larry Clark, 2005, 38 min
The most grounded of all the segments, Clark’s also proved to be the most watchable. This is an amusing mini-documentary in which young teens are interviewed to star in their first porn shoot; the winner getting to interview a number of AV actresses before deciding who he wishes to share his big first time on screen moment with. A surprisingly sweet, if naive insight into the Adult Movie industry, from a youthful perspective.
Sync
Marco Brambilla, 2005, 2 min
Like an X-Rated MTV short, Sync is a quick fire montage through a number of hardcore scenes, set to a heavy drum soundtrack.
Death Valley
Sam Taylor-Wood, 2004, 7 min 58 sec (music by Matmos and Andrew Hale)
Sex alfresco, as a man indulges in a spot of onanism in the great American outback, all in a single static shot.
We Fuck Alone
Gaspar Noe, 2006, 23 min
Noe once again goes for the jugular in this misogynist fantasy, as a sex doll is this time the recipient of sexual violence. With its continuous strobe lighting and dizzying camera angles, this is a ride into the darker reaches of sexual fantasy.
Overview.
Destricted is an uneven piece (as short film compilations usually are) but unfortunately one that offers little insight into the ‘porn and art’ debate - indeed those expecting more coherent filmmaking are best advised to look elsewhere. These literal ‘art’ pieces are rarely engrossing, and more often than not meretricious (save Larry Clark’s amusing mini-doc ‘Impaled’ - although one gets the impression it is a piece he has been hinting at, with his earlier slices of teenage coitus). For instance, Barney’s empty art video ‘Hoist’ may be attempting to liken sex to a mechanical act - but ultimately in all its explicitness offers very little else, additionally Noe’s grating ‘We Fuck Alone’, a lazy attempt to emulate Irreversible in style, is an overlong, trite piece that manages to offer up a checkpoint of offensive imagery, yet little in imagination.
It’s a shame then, that ultimately this compilation, is best summed up by Sam Taylor-Wood’s 8 minute short ‘Death Valley'; it may be a opportunity for the directors to indulge in unrestrained artistic onanism, but if only it was compelling to watch.
This is a review of the cinema release. Destricted is now available on R2 DVD from Revolver Entertainment.