Black & White & Sex

In this delightfully smug feature, a documentary filmmaker implausibly allows himself to be bullied for two hours by an interviewee whose approach to the questions being asked is, "%#$@ you." While none of the observations offered rise beyond the banal, her attitude of world-weary wisdom with a side of condescension appears to be designed exclusively to allow any viewer who might relate to her to feel good about it. Apart from empowering those audience members with a chance to look with scorn on everyone else in the room, the film accomplishes little. The interviewer, cunningly devised to be the ideal shallowly moralistic and unthinking opponent for his subject, never manages to ask a question one might not find in a pamphlet. There is little in the way of insight from the film's parade of angry performers, many of whom seem thrilled to have a chance to make use of acting skills they're usually only allowed to employ in angst-ridden productions at theatres downstairs from the local coffee shop.

Oh, also it's elegantly filmed in a striking black and white, and the lead is played by a succession of disparate actresses. As someone once nearly said: ten out of ten for style, but minus several million for content.

This movies does what it intends to do. "Angie is determined to set the record straight about sex" is in the storyline, and she (in the plural sense) does. Multiple versions of Angie allow for a wider look at the similarities within sex workers, though only can be connected to those who freely enter the trade, do not face violence, police corruption etc.

The film is written and directed by John Winter who wants the male viewer to see the film as more than simply sexual, but it is hard to do so. The male gaze is amplified with Matthew Holmes (the interviewer), who essentially explores his own prior relationships through relating to various prostitutes.

Overall, the film doesn't explore more than a simplistic look between money, sex and emotions. It tries to explicitly imply the power that sex has on people, and the reversal of roles in the film helps to dictate this well. There are a few character developing moments in the movie, but overall it does not "set the record straight on sex". In a way it tries to universalize emotion by having the multiple Angie's, and generalizes all males in the same way.

The emotional connection with the audience is built through a physical one, rather than anything else, as vulnerability is seen throughout the film, but is not explained as anything outside of the physical, with little importance paid to power and dominance.

I would rate this film a 5/10 while the ratings might range from 3-8 depending on personal tastes. The film doesn't seem to have much of a budget, and didn't need it. The transitions were good and provided the meaning intended. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, and that might explain the low feedback for this movie. It is dealing with a taboo subject, but it deals with it superficially, and therefore there is but a few statements that can be taken away (if you have no knowledge on the subject), but otherwise it isn't worth watching.

I didn't expect much when I first started watching it but then I couldn't stop. Why? It was so real true and ... intellectual. You'd never expect this truth to be spoken out. It needed an actress to do it. A high spec one.

... I don't condone this activity (avoiding spoiler) but the psychology of it should be understood. Very skilled work of a director and a crew. Photography is a marvellous piece of art.

Not for everyone but for mature thoughtful person may be a broadening perspective exercise.

At the end I highly recommend this movie as it was something surprisingly good and thought provoking.

What is wrong with Australian cinema-goers? This is an amazing example of our talented industry: The script, the cinematography and the actresses all blew me away. The director has made a bold statement regarding censorship, about what we can see and hear and why that is. After watching this movie last night, I'm still thinking about it the next morning, and will continue to do so for many days - now that is a sign of a good film. If you've missed it at the movies, wait until it's on DVD and buy it. We need to support our struggling film industry. We need to get behind talented directors and actresses like these, and we need to make more intellectual movies like these.

This is a truly wonderful film, made in the true spirit of inventive, exciting indie filmmaking. John Winter, the director/writer of the piece (some folks would call that an 'auteur') has an impressive slate of producing credits (Rabbit Proof Fence, Doin' Time for Patsy Cline) but this is the first time he has taken charge of all the principal creative elements of a feature film - and he does an amazing job. He has assembled a truly wonderful cast of Australia's most interesting and versatile female actors, to deliver an exciting, sexy, intriguing, and riveting 90 minutes of sheer brilliance. The film is brave and unusual - challenging, yet easy to go with - I was blown away by it. The wonderful Valerie Bader is sensational, and the black and white photography adds an element to the whole piece that a colour shoot would have lost. The casting director Dina Mann (Head On, Japanese Story, Mallboy) has done a magnificent job here and deserves special mention. Go and see this film - support it - tell distributors and exhibitors to get behind this film - the Australian film industry desperately NEEDS unique films like this to drag it out of its torpor.