I ended up getting this at work after reading a few reviews of it on here. I think one of them might have been Dale, and one of them was most likely our resident reviewer, Martin. I remember reading about the controversy surrounding its content, particularly the fact that it presented a lot of realistic sex scenes. hat proved to be very true. This is not one for someone who is freaked out by sex becuase the audience actually gets to see sex rather than just acting/simulated sex.

The thing is that it is more than just a voyeuristic experience. The story centers around a group of people living and working in Manhattan. They are all experiencing various relationship troubles that are partially due to sexual issues.

James and Jamie are a gay couple who have been together for quite a lot of time. James is making a movie that has an important message, highlighting some of the feelings of inadequacy he feels. They have been talking about the possibility of bringing in a third person into the relationship to spice things up.

As they are working on sorting through their troubles, they go to see Sophia, who is a relationship counselor. She actually is experiencing troubles of her own. She and her husband Rob really seem to do a great job of working on their communication, but she has never actually had an organsm. The irony is interesting, considering her career choice. The guys invite her to come to Shortbus, a secret underground club that is a very club-kids, hippie-like experience of free love and firendship.

Then there is Severin, a professional dominatrix, who has an uncanny need to take Polaroid pictures of people around her as they express various emotions in odd situations. It seems to be out of some sort of need to actually experience emotions of her own, which might explain her career choice, which gives her the chance to bring about strong emotions in others.

Then there is Ceth (pronounced Seth). He is the exact opposit of Severin. He is a sweet guy looking for love and able to really connect and care about the people around him. He ends up connecting with James and Jamie. In part, he becomes a bridge between the two of them, along with a mysterious, voyeuristic neighbor of theirs.

The storylines of the characters interweave and allow for the characters to develop and grow as they go to the club and explore the weaknesses within themselves. In the end, they are stronger characters as a result of their experiences.

This is a typical indie movie. Lots of artsy feel. It would be easy to see the racy sex as being all there is to it, but in reality there is a really meaty and emotional look at the complex relationship between the physical act of sex and the emotion of love that we all have to balance in our couplings. I am glad that I watched this, though, it might be REALLY shocking for some people.