Strange Fits Of Passion

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C     Extras: D     Film: B-

 

 

She (yes, that’s the name, played by Michela Noonan) is a young woman wanting to lose her virginity, but starting to wonder about her sexuality in Strange Fits Of Passion (2001), missing out on some opportunities to be with what seems like some good guys.  Jimmy (Mitchell Butel) is her best friend and in a happy Gay relationship, but that will not necessarily help her.

 

This is serio-comic, with nothing being too funny, yet it always seems grounded in some kind of reality, despite some fantasy sequences.  This film does not obsess on sexuality as much as it examines ideas of what it is to be happy.  Is love just a “Capitalist myth” and how important is sex.  The film handles these issues maturely, if not thoroughly and does not seem to have enough time at 80 minutes to do so.

 

The letterboxed 1.78 X 1 image is not awful, but an anamorphic transfer would have been nice.  Shot in Australia by Jaems Grant, A.C.S., it is a good-looking film that does not use any camera tricks or styles to separate the fantasy and reality sequences.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 is Stereo at best, but small and with no Pro Logic surrounds.  This includes a few hits by Herman’s Hermits, which pales in comparison to the recent SACD hits set (reviewed elsewhere on this site) just issued, and I wondered if the female lead was related to that group’s lead singer.  Except for a trailer, this has not extras either.

 

Elise McCredle did her best to take on this material (which she wrote) with an intelligence not seen enough, but I bet she will do better next time she tackles such subject matter.  Strange Fits Of Passion is consistent enough and that is reason enough to see it.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo