Hey folks, Harry here with a review by a Straight Male of a film concerning some 'gay activity', but he wants to make sure that you are don't think this movie is only for those of the 'gay persuasion' so he is clearly stating his sexual orientation. Have we really reached this point? I suppose we have. I suppose everyone should classify exactly their background before commenting on a film. Does this mean that before I review SCHINDLER'S LIST I should reference that I am in fact not Jewish? Just curious. The only case where I would see making this point relevant is if suddenly you understood the fundemental nature of attraction between same sex couples and that potential within yourself... In which case you are having a profound experience with a 'gay film', though personally I've always hated that term myself. LOST AND DELIRIOUS is a film... Watch it as one.
Hey I haven't sent anything in to you guys ever but I saw a film that I liked and wanted to send you a review. I couldn't find anything about the film on the site. Incase you don't know Lost and Delirious is a Canadian film coming out next week. Oh and because it might change the perspective of anyone reading the review I'm a straight male.
Review-Lost and Delirious
Lost and Delirious is a the first English film by director Léa Pool, and it stars Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle), Jessica Paré (Stardom), and Mischa Barton (she was the sick little girl in The Sixth Sense). In some circles it has been affectionately called "Piper Perabo's Lesbian film". StarTV has been running a preview for the film for about a month now, and both of the lead actresses kind of came off as ditzes in their interviews. I was expecting both of the leads to have been cast only for their looks. I expected a traditional coming out movie. You know "I love you, but I'm not gay!" "We have to be apart!" "It's wrong but it feels so right!" "Oh but I love you so much that I will get over my fear and negative feelings about homosexuality!". Sort of like When Night is Falling or Desert Hearts. But Lost and Delirious is not what I expected.
Lost and Delirious is the story of a girl Mary Bradford (Mischa Barton) who is starting at a boarding school and is roomed with two seniors Pauline (Piper Perabo) and Victoria (Jessica Peré). Mary soon discovers that her new roommates are quite a bit more than just friends, they share an intense love, both physical and emotional. They think forward to next year when they will both be going to McGill and they will be able to totally be together. However when Pauline and Victoria are caught together, Victoria has to choose between Pauline and her family.
What makes Lost and Delirious different from most standard gay films is that both of the characters admit and accept that they are in love with one another. Neither of them view their love as wrong, but as each individual in love with the other. The thing that separates the two characters and gives the film conflict is the way society and other people view the relationship. It is sort of like Lilies or Better than Chocolate however both of those films had homosexuality as a lynchpin of their stories. In Lost and Delirious any number of things could have been used to block the romance of the two characters. Race, class, or any number of other things, would have worked. Because of this the movie becomes more accessible to a general audience, male and female, straight and gay.
The movie itself works quite well. Both Perabo and Paré were not chosen just for their looks as they both give great performances. I feared that both of them would look out of place, but the makeup and clothing department did a good job of making them both look quite at home with the other girls. There are a few times where it is clear that Perabo is almost 24 and the other girls are quite a bit younger, but it never sticks out like it does in Hollywood teen films like Wild Things or Jawbreaker where the female leads look almost 30. The other performances in the movie also work quite well. Mischa Barton is quite believable as the narrator of the story, and Graham Greene seems comfortable in his understated role as a groundskeeper. As the film goes on you realize that it is working itself up as a sort of Shakespearian love story, and the tension is whether it will be a comedy or a tragedy.
The film is not perfect however. There are a couple of places where your suspension of disbelief is shaken a bit. For example who it their right mind would put a boys boarding school within walking distance of a girl‚s boarding school? What kind of teacher would allow Pauline to fence without a mask? Why would Victoria's prudish parents allow her to have a tatoo? Also the film can get a bit to poetic for it‚s own good. The constant comparison of the hawk and the mouse got a little tiring.
Despite a few flaws Lost and Delirious is still one of the best films I have seen this year (second only to Memento). Definitely worth seeing before Jurassic Park 3 or the such.
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The Loompa, A Straight Male
