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SXSW 'Emerging Visions'

Monday, March 14, 2005

KISSING ON THE MOUTH

Kissing on the Mouth takes an intensely raw look at sex, with every body part shown and every sex scene captured in explicit detail. Pornography? Hardly, according to the four directors, who also acted in this liberating look at relationships and sex. “We just wanted to portray sex as what it is,” says Kris Williams, who plays Laura in the film.

To them, what it is is real. Not pornographic and certainly not romanticized, the story aimed at interpreting the tangled mess of young love. Viewers identify immediately with the problems of Ellen, played by Kate Winterich, a curly-haired college graduate who is sleeping with Chris, her ex. Only problem is Chris, played by Kevin Pittman, wants to get back together, while Ellen just wants to get some. Adding to her frustrations, Ellen’s roommate, Patrick, played by Joe Swanberg, is expressing his frustrations as he deals with a crush on her.

The four directors realized if they wanted to bring these everyday issues to the screen in a non-cheesy way, they first needed to get real with the camera. “Our goal was to strip away the acting,” Swanberg says.

And strip they did – literally. Pimples aren’t covered and cellulite isn’t hidden, thus adding to the overall effectiveness of the film. “The only influence on the film was reality,” says Swanberg, who used a Sony DVCAM to capture the honest, if not cruel, reality of natural light.

Adding to the film’s authenticity was the talent of the quartet. Winterich, Swanberg, Williams and Pittman didn’t just remove their clothes; they removed their inhibitions. The result was brilliant performances comparable to seasoned veterans.

Yet you get the feeling that even the most experienced wouldn’t be able to accurately express the main message of the film like these four did. The noteworthy performances were the unique result of a group of inexperienced actors who forfeighted modesty to show young relationships as they really are – passionate, sometimes uncomfortable and always complicated.

STRAIGHT LINE

For an independent filmmaker with only a $34,000 budget for his film about a young man’s journey from Montana to Panama, Sean Ackerman did a pretty good job. “Straight Line” follows Bobby, played by Sean himself, a Chicago twentysomething who moves to Montana to escape reality after his mother’s death. But when he searched for solitude, he instead found breathtaking Montana native Sophie, played by Shannon Shultz, who has a dream of living in Panama one day.

Bobby eventually opens up to Sophie, and they begin a love affair cut short by Sophie’s decision to follow her dream to Panama. Heartbroken, Bobby vows to win her back and begins a journey all the way to Panama to find her. Misfortunes naturally arise – cars are stolen, addresses are changed – yet Bobby remains hopeful and determined.

Without the director’s determination, this film would have never been made. “We called everybody and anybody we knew in Latin America,” admits Ackerman, whose dreams of success make sense – he has something to prove to Hollywood. You see, Ackerman has achieved success already, just not the kind he wanted. After a brief stint in Los Angeles, during which he impressed some major studio heads with his talent, he realized that staying meant losing all creative control. “I felt like I needed to do a movie that I had total control of,” Ackerman says.

His creative freedom results in a film with three parts that constantly interchange with each other onscreen: the beginning stages of Bobby and Sophie’s love affair; the end stage of his mother’s life; and Bobby’s road trip to Panama. Although Ackerman’s acting isn’t stellar – he admits he only stepped in front of the camera due to budgetary constraints – newcomer Shannon Shultz lights up the screen for the both of them, bringing to mind the likes of Mischa Barton with her natural charisma and beauty.

Another beautiful aspect of the film was the way Ackerman captures nature. Sparkling rivers and fiery orange sunsets, not to mention the glorious shots of Central and Latin America, should finally prove Ackerman’s talent to Hollywood. If not, you can bet he’ll find another way to demonstrate it.

HIGHWAY COURTESANS

Upon first glance of filmmaker Mystelle Brabbee, you wouldn’t expect her to create such a fascinating documentary about India’s “highway courtesans” – young girls who work as prostitutes to support their families. But don’t let Brabbee’s petite, blonde looks fool you – she’s one dedicated director. Her remarkable nine years spent studying the Bachara village girls results in an in-depth look at a way of life often misunderstood as something respectable.

Central to Brabbee’s documentary is the story of Guddi Chauhan, a Bachara girl who dreams of leaving her village and occupation behind. But getting Chauhan to divulge her dreams and fears to the camera wasn’t exactly easy, hence the long period of time Brabbee spent in India. “It was a very closed society,” Brabbee admits. “At first, they didn’t open up at all. For a long time, I felt that they were giving me answers they thought I wanted to hear.”

The patient director then diligently sorted between the honest and not footage, and the final product is an intelligent look at these innocent girls whose dreams of true love often disappear in the dust of their customer’s trucks. Brabbee dispelles the myth that the Bachara are a matriarchal society with her raw footage of the harsh treatment women often face daily from their fathers and brothers.

As for Guddi, Brabbee admits she’s “an exception” with her hopes for a life elsewhere. Perhaps it was a result of the intimate questioning, the director states. “Being filmed, I think, gave her confidence.”

written by Laura Zvonek