SXSW Film Reviews

KISSING ON THE MOUTH

D: Joe Swanberg; with Kate Winterich, Joe Swanberg, Kevin Pittman, Kris Williams

Narrative Feature Emerging Visions

Rarely do we consider, when eyeing nudity on film, the awkwardness, even exploitation, of the unclothed actor. Kissing on the Mouth tackles that issue head-on by making its cast and crew the same in this exploration of post-college sex and relationships. They show an uncommon bravery in their willingness to capture on camera every inch of skin, to often extremely unglamorous effect: We see them engaged in the mundane tasks of shaving pubes, putting on deodorant or a condom, jerking off in the shower. The story – aimless Ellen (Winterich) has sex with her ex- (Pittman), while her roommate Patrick (Swanberg) pines from afar – dramatically doesn't have much teeth. I suspect that's sort of the point: The film's primary function seems to be in lensing the banalities of everyday living. To that end, the film is successful; in providing illumination to those banalities, one will have to look elsewhere.

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Dobie, 2pm