In a time when joyful, quirky sex scenes seem to be missing from the big screen, a 2006 indie movie has built up a loyal fanbase thanks to its unfiltered intimate moments and its ability to capture a unique moment in history.
Written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, this film is a bold, independent comedy that uses sex as a life-affirming way to connect in post-9/11 New York City.
Premiering at Cannes back in 2006, 18 years ago, it gained attention for showcasing ‘real unsimulated sex’, with scenes that included everything from penetrative intercourse to male ejaculati*n.
Yep, this film certainly doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
The movie, titled Shortbus, centers around an artistic and sexual salon in Brooklyn, which was inspired by real underground gatherings happening in the city at the time.
The casting process was just as unconventional as the movie itself. Mitchell and his team watched around 500 tapes that were sent in after an open casting call.
They then invited 40 people to what turned out to be a rather packed chemistry reading session.
Ultimately, nine stars were cast, all before a single line of dialogue had even been written.
Shortbus gets its name from the fictional sexual salon that the protagonist, sex therapist Sofia Lin (played by Sook-Yin Lee), visits in hopes of achieving her first orgasm.
Sofia, who’s stuck in a lackluster marriage with her husband Rob (Raphael A Barker), is encouraged by two of her patients, James (Paul Dawson) and Jamie (PJ DeBoy), to explore this path of self-discovery.
Along the way, she strikes up a friendship with dominatrix Severin (Lindsay Beamish) and even convinces Rob to attend Shortbus with her.
As for how it was received, the film currently holds a 69% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Reviews have been mixed, with some praising its heartwarming qualities, while others weren’t too impressed with the mostly improvised acting.
Despite the divided opinions, Shortbus was re-released in 2022 and has since reached cult status.
Journalist Mark Harris, who spent time on set with Mitchell and the hopeful cast members back in 2003, has even questioned whether Shortbus would get made today.
In his opinion, it’s not the explicit sex scenes that would cause controversy now, but the fact that the film’s sexual moments aren’t wrapped up in some kind of escapist, late-capitalist storyline.
Harris reflects on how the movie’s post-9/11 optimism might not connect with today’s audience, and it’s this very optimism that made Shortbus stand out as an indie hit.
“It’s a movie full of joy and delight—not just in sexual discovery and self-discovery, but in the awkward, itchy, uncomfortable, embarrassing stuff, in the fact that sex is messy because people and their feelings are messy,” Harris wrote in Vulture.
He continues, “In a way, the movie’s conviction that the mess is part of the fun seems like its most transgressive aspect.”
Harris argues that if the film were made today, “contemporary sensibilities might demand that the sex in Shortbus be framed as a refuge or escape within a late-capitalist dystopia, instead of an invitation to get naked and jump in, in a city that glows with various secret pleasures just waiting to be unlocked.”
In the end, Shortbus remains a testament to a moment in time, capturing both the joy and messiness of human connection in a way that feels raw, real, and perhaps, a little too bold for today’s audience.
