Sex Is… (Gay Documentary)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Documentary: C+
In the “more information than I needed to know”
department, Marc Huestis’ Sex Is… (1993) brings together a collage of
interviews with 15 very different gay men, some very explicit ideas, very
explicit sexual images and film footage in a project co-funded by the National
Endowment For The Arts and is dedicated top the memory of Jesse Helms!
A good program, the discussions are very raw, maybe more
so for those not used to frank talk about sex: especially gay sex. Writers, professors and even a gay XXX star
relay many tales about growing up, especially in the pre-AIDS era. Running 83 minutes, it is all you could ask
about the subject, though it does tend to over-generalize about the gay
experience in a way that does not always ring true despite the honesty of its
subjects. Either way, it is very NC-17
and recommended only to those who think they can handle its directness.
The 1.33 X 1 image was originated on NTSC analog videotape
and shows its age, but is not badly transferred considering that, also
including film clips of various quality.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is simple stereo at best and has absolutely
no surround information. There are also
no extras, but after all this, what else was there to say?
- Nicholas Sheffo
