XX/XY

Excellent cast and intensity throughout. All characters and situations relatable to the twenty and thirty-something audience and quite believable. I just thought it moved a bit too slowly and felt long. It takes a drastic leap in time in the last half, and the cast pulls it off. But it does slow down the film a bit. Very sexy film.

I saw this movie at the GenArt Film Festival 8 April 2003. As I watched the movie I kept wanting to like it. For one thing it is indeed an extremely realistic portrayal of a certain class of people. And it was introduced by the GenArt film programmer as being "young and hip -- very representative of our audience". And yet...for two hours we are treated to a portrait of a bunch of shallow, miserable, unhappy, selfish, clueless people with apparently no work responsibilities and no families and no relationships outside of their whining, mewling, sullen, mopey complaints about each other interspersed with bouts of apparently pleasureless intercourse. 45 minutes of the college version of this followed by 45 minutes of the soulless successful yuppie version of this. They cried, they screwed, they lied. They hardly ever laughed and it was a real strain near the end to watch them trying their damndest to have fun with a little karaoke. In the end, while I appreciated the skillful realism of the portrait, I couldn't get over the fact that I just wouldn't care about these people in real life. I made this comment in the Q&A afterwards and the director was intolerant. A few people afterwards came up and agreed with me. Also most of the reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes had the same impression. Still, it is valuable as a detailed anatomy of the insipid.

XX/XY feels undone.

Take the male adolescent fantasy of bedding two females and hopefully watching them bed each other, throw in some complications, and see where it takes us, is essentially the crux of this movie.

Unfortunately, despite the excellent camera work and sharp performances by the cast, something is missing in this screenplay in order for us to empathize with these characters. It's as if the writer wanted to give everybody equal screen time, but forgot to flesh out the true love interest--Sam, played nicely by Maya Stange. If Maya were further fleshed out as a character, the audience might actually feel satisfied by the end of this so so movie.

Too bad. There is a diamond in the rough here...but it is buried in shallowness.

Speaking of shallowness, considering the constant state of free love depicted in the movie, nobody seems concerned with STDs or AIDS. What's up with that?

I have a general positive bias towards this film because I have experienced so much of what many of these characters went through and thus was able to relate quite well. It is a film that is very in tune with the real emotions that one goes through when presented with such a bizarre situation. Even for those who have not encountered the kind of problems presented in this film it still will leave the viewer with many quandaries left to answer and will allow your mind to venture into places you did not know you could go. The writer of this film, I am almost sure, must have been through much of what was depicted in the film...it seems almost biographical. I look forward to seeing more of what this writer has to offer.

Austin Chick has done wonders with "XX/XY". It's almost as though he is working in solving a mathematical equation. In the process, he makes us follow the three principals, Coles, Maya and Thea throughout almost ten years to see what become of the characters. Mr. Chick is a film maker in tune with young people, their language, their interplay, and their sexual discoveries.

In securing the services of Mark Ruffalo for the pivotal role of Coles, the director is blessed as well with wonderful performances all around. Mr. Ruffalo has become one of the best actors working in the American cinema. He always bring such an intensity to everything he does, but in a subtle and quiet way. We always know what's going on with this man because he expresses everything with gestures that are always right. There's never a moment wrong in Mr. Ruffalo's portrayal of Coles.

The story begins in 1993 as the original friends, Coles, Thea and Maya explore their sexual awakenings in unorthodox ways. Coles is the man who lusts after both room mates, but it's obvious that Maya is the one that gets the best of him until their separation.

As the story turns to the present time. We see Coles in a relationship with Claire, the 'together' young woman who seems secure enough with Coles never to pressure him into a marriage, because she feels he is committed to staying with her. Their life together suddenly takes a spin with the reemergence of Maya, who has been away in London all these years. Her presence unravels Coles to the point of betrayal to Claire. It is Claire who gets the last laugh as she confronts Coles to tell him how ahead of the game she really is.

The last scene is enigmatic. We watch Coles and Claire standing by the door. Coles is trying to hold it open, but Claire succeeds in closing it, and as a chapter in their relationship has ended.

The two principals, Maya Strange, as Sam, and Kathleen Robertson, as Thea, are excellent as the college girls that love to have fun. However, one has a feeling that it's Petra Wright, who plays Claire, that gives the strongest performance. Ms. Wright has a luminous aura about her; she overshadows the others. One realizes that Coles needs her and she loves him.

Bravo to Austin Chick for a job well done.