This week I saw Franz Ferdinand in concert at the Aragon, and then immediately went home and videotaped various sex acts with my wife, as can be seen in the attached clip. Only kidding.
Labeled the most sexually explicit mainstream film in UK history, 9 Songs follows the relationship between Matt and Lisa, alternating between hypnotically beautiful scenes of Antarctica (Matt is a glaciologist); nine concerts the couple attend (mostly indie bands, including Franz Ferdinand); and scenes of the couple’s relationship arc from beginning to end, including real (as in non-simulated) sex. Make no mistake, you shouldn’t see this film with your parents, or anyone you don’t know well. Many people probably shouldn’t see the film at all.
Director Michael Winterbottom has produced such a diverse body of work in the last 10 years. His proceeding three films, Code 46, In This World, and 24 Hour Party People are exceptionally good, and yet are barely recognizable as the work of the same director. There is no doubt that Winterbottom was deliberate in making a sexually explicit film, but not simply to catch the attention of the tabloid press and conservative ratings boards. Listening to Winterbottom discuss the film, one is convinced both of his artistic integrity as well as his relish in his maverick moniker. The controversy created by the film does raise some interesting questions about human sexuality and its artistic portrayal. The sex portrayed here visually is certainly no more explicit than that described in literature, whether in heralded works or in the scores of trashy romance novels that litter the bookstores (without attracting any protest, by the way). Some reviewers found the film, and the sex, boring. (Who knew that film critics had such exciting sex lives?) I doubt 9 Songs will amount to much in the history of cinema, but I can’t deny the value of its expression. I am looking forward to Winterbottom’s next film, The Road to Guantanamo, set to screen here in June. And if you haven’t seen the three films listed above, do so right away. With your parents, if you like.
Here are this morning’s Oscar-nominated films, alphabetically. The nominees for foreign language film and documentary feature are compiled at the end of the list. (Short format nominees are listed in a 
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