Metrosexuality

Another Country heard from…

It seems the reviews on this series are mixed. (At least on this site) so let me add my 2 cents worth (pence worth?)

I rented Metrosexuality from my local gay bookstore along with California based soap, West Hollywood Stories. What can I say? Once again the Brits blow us away when it comes to telling good stories in an engaging way.

Metrosexuality is wonderful. It takes an even less traditional stance than `Queer as Folk' but presents gay folks (and their friends and families) in a positive light. The characters are presented within a gay subculture but within that milieu they are so real and understandable that I can identify with them all, even those that are very different from anyone that I know. As a gay man in his 40's I expect to be able to empathize with a 40 something gay man with a son and an ex-lover who's dating an ex-paratrooper but I was amazed by how quickly I felt myself in empathy with a straight man nearing middle age who's missing his wife.

The actors are uncommonly good looking and there's a wide variety to suit all tastes. The dialogue is so witty that this `Yank' longed for subtitles so that I wouldn't miss anything. The music integrated into the episodes was great and the different closing montages for every episode were a hoot. I only hope that this series goes on and on and that I can somehow find the next set of episodes in the good ole USA.

Unlike Queer as Folk, I don't see this one making it `across the pond' as the sensibility is more British and less easily translated, particularly in its equal treatment of blacks. More's the pity.

Modern culture asks us to accept many infringements into our lives, including our identities. Being in love might be simple, but what to do with it can be complicated by concepts of monogamy and monosexuality. Metrosexuality attempts to explore the vast differences in people's identities and relationship boundaries while not getting caught up in either ham-fisted soap opera antics or soft-core homoeroticism. Comparisons between Metro and Queer As Folk will be unavoidable for most, but they fundamentally differ. QaF is homocentric, while Metro finds room for a gray-scale that better represents the range of people's identities, and better captures the variety and confusion in relationships.

Gay, straight, bisexual, monosexual, polysexual, monogamy, polygamy, feminism, and masculinity are some of the topics explored in an everyday setting. Each character has their own traits, and through their interactions gives us insight into who we are.

The actors/actresses performances sometimes dip into being a tad wooden, though generally are acceptable. The low budget they must have had sometimes distracts. The fast pacing (which I enjoyed) will make some dizzy, with quick cuts between settings and characters setting the feel. The intentionally shaky (and sometimes TOO shaky) camera technique adds a certain anxiety, though occasionally intrudes. The characters are developed through their interactions, so we never get to explore the inner thoughts of any single character outside of group settings. At any rate, they certainly are a sexy bunch.

Overall, I enjoyed Metro (especially after my letdown on over-the-top QaF). The series foretells the coming of a revolution where polarized labels (gay, straight, bi) are a thing of the past, and people celebrate themselves for who they are, wherever they may fall in the spectrum of life, not simply how well they can be pinned down into a stereotype. Unfortunately, it only lasted one season on UK television and never made it to the US. I saw this on DVD, which includes the pilot "Heterosexuality".

A Master Piece of work from Ricki Beatle Blaire. One that you can watch over and over to catch all the details, that are not picked up the first viewing. One to share with friends. The Music could not be better, and is moving. If anyone has info regarding the soundtrack PLEASE share this info with me. Noel Clark ( Kwami ), Paul Keating ( Dean ), and Davey Fairbanks ( Bambi )Perform their roles in a relaxed and well expressed manner to help represent the true life experience of the Gay Lifestyle among the Straight thinking world. The reality of situations compared to real life experience Challenges Queer as Folk material in my opinion. My encouragement for more of the same to be produced! If Your open minded, bi, or gay... GET THIS!

I was fortunate enough to see the short film this was based on: "Heterosexuality". Then, an aquaintence gave me a VHS tape to keep, and that was "Metrosexuality". I loved sitting before the t.v. screen, watching the shenanigans of the characters weaving in and out of conflicts, the daily goings-on of life as a gay/lesbian/straight/parent/whatever person displayed humorously for my enjoyment. It only ran for several episodes, but it's superior to my tastes, and I hope it'll be for anyone who'll be fortunate enough to watch this.

How channel4 has managed to vomit such trash onto our television screens is beyond me.It combines everything that is wrong with youth television - terrible acting, cardboard-cutout characters, 'cool' wobbly camera angles and zoom shots, contrived and confusing script - and manages to mix it all together into something which might be a comedy or might be a drama, and fails at both. Its gaudy, tacky, extremely annoying to watch, and has singlehandedly set gay rights back 20 years. Watch this one as it slowly slips later into the schedules and erases itself from it's creators resume.