The Cabin Movie

The beginning was a little rough, wasn't sure where it was going/what to expect from it right away, but before long you realize 'oh, it's 3 couples going up to a cabin for a swingers party'. I've never been to one, but I'm familiar with the concept.

I think the actors (and plot) did a great job of developing and really putting across the idea of 'well it seemed like a good idea at the time'. You can tell that some of them are into it and some aren't really even though they say they are. Of course there's that 1 person who loses their head and jeopardizes the whole thing, and from there, things just spiral out of control. The end result is kind of like a messed up episode of Big Brother... but it came across very realistic and sincere, with a message about people's expectations, the kinds of things you will do in the heat of a moment, and definitely regret, remorse and awkwardness afterwards. Nothing goes as planned in this whole story, but that's what made it interesting, exciting and enveloping. It pulls you in and while it doesn't have huge plot twists, things probably won't ever go quite how you predict. I was kept guessing the whole time and I thought that was great.

I would get into the characters but I don't want to spoil anything, I will just say I think they did a good job of portraying 6 different people, 6 different personalities, and how they all interacted and affected each other. Each performance was good. Believable and sincere. The only character who's performance I think might have been a little weak would be Katherine.

Considering I first saw this movie on the shelf at blockbuster over 2 years ago as what appeared to be a b-movie over, I finally got to see it and was very pleasantly surprised.

No, the movie didn't have as much sex in it as you'd expect, BUT that would have kind of taken away from what it was really trying to get across. The sex that DOES occur absolutely punctuates the point of the movie and is necessary for it to end the way it does, which ties everything up quite well. I think the previous commenter was looking for more physical stimulation by this movie then mental stimulation. If you just watch this movie for the sex, then you are better off to go watch porn. It is a great movie if you see it for what it is trying to be.

I like this movie because the acting of the actors is quite genuine and honest. The actress who plays the role of the floozy (Justine Warrington) delivers an impressive talent as a singer, too. She even wrote and performed one of the songs in the film. The storyline is not bad, not bad at all. Although the film is a low budget one (i guess, because Justine has to do the stills, Dylan A. Smith was a director plus camera operator) it is well put together. For the director Dylan Akio Smith,(he's a Canadian) rising from a gaffer, electrician to producing films, i think he is quite amazingly talented. I hope to be able to see some of his others films.

Recently, I saw The Cabin Movie at the Vancouver Film Festival. The film directed by Dylan Smith features three couples in search of exciting sexual encounters in a cabin north of the Vancouver. What impressed me so much about this film was the restraint showed by the director in dealing with this very sensitive subject. There is something inherently funny about a film chronicling three couples experimenting with sex with friends, yet the director cleverly plays it straight. He avoids easy punch-lines and instead teases the comedy from the circumstance. Arranging a sex weekend with a group of friends is more complicated than one can imagine. This is not robotic sex with strangers and the characters recognize the inherent dangers. These are three well- defined couples each with a suitcase full of relationship issues. The script is tightly written and the acting is strong. In an era of sexual adventure among couples, this is a timely story. It presents the dilemmas of free sex without moralizing. It was one of my picks of the festival and judging by the reaction of the audience, I think this film could become a sleeper hit in the video rental houses.

The Cabin Movie is certainly not the worst movie you'll ever see, but this is a movie that I found extremely hard to like, and I was severely disappointed as the story sounded extremely promising. A couple invites two other couples over for a little partner swapping / sexual game thing going on. It's gonna be videotaped! And it's going to be fun! Only one of the couples swaps his female companion for a last minute replacement of an absolute floozy and the other couple are still debating on whether or not this is such a great idea. Now, this sounds like it could be a sexy comedic flick, but the whole thing is immediately deflated by the totally unlikable characters that populate this movie. I am sure it's not the actors fault, they're just there, but more of a scripting fault then anything else. You're in with them as the movie starts but by the end you feel you've ended up wishing that you were somewhere else as the characters haven't really grown, but sort of humiliated themselves, and that leaves the audience to move uncomfortably in their seat waiting for the movie to end.

This little Canadian film is one of the best independent features that captures beautiful British Columbia, Canada like it should be seen... the story is full of ups and downs that all young couples can relate too, and the whole cast felt so authentic with great chemistry. A very original script, full of dialog that seems so natural coming from the great cast. In my opinion one of the best Canadian Features I've seen in years! Its not very often that a young adult film about sexual exploration and relationships is shown in a realistic view by actors that seem so genuine. Rent this and support these young filmmakers so that more films of this quality will be produced.