24/7: The Passion of Life

In light of an upcoming "Shades of Grey" movie, this movie might be watched in a different light. Of course the overall theme is different, even though both movies will be about domination and sexuality. One thing the Grey movie will have is better actors overall. One of the sins (no pun intended) you have to put upon this movie.

The movie itself with its theme will either entice you or appall you. The fact that dialog is spoken without emotion (but a great part of the non actors cast in the movie) is bringing the movie down. There are themes here that are interesting to explore (depending on your sexuality more or less), but the movie won't entirely allow that.

Having said all that, the movie tries something almost honorable. It does check the character name box (symblism that is) and might leave a few questioning themselves and their lives. Unfortunately that again is undercut by very weak "normal" people who don't seem to be able to respond to the depravity they are confronted with. It would be more interesting and enticing (especially with a better script and actors).

So you've been told "24/7: The Passion of Life" is a good movie about BDSM? Well, there are reasons to be happy about this film and that's because it does NOT make a couple of popular BDSM-related mistakes. That's good. However it makes a lot of other mistakes. And that's very bad.

This movie is two very different women, getting to know each other by coincidence. Maria, a professional dominatrix, and Eva, daughter of a wealthy hotel owner, destined to take over the family business. Growing curious, then fascinated of Marias bizarre yet somehow attracting world of erotic subjection AND freedom, Eva begins a journey of sexual self-discovery.

That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Also, people who are into BDSM are NOT portrayed as perverts or potential criminals. They don't need to be prosecuted, healed, locked away... they're fine!

Unfortunately, if a movie is not bad (in one way) that still doesn't make it good. It also needs good acting, good dialogues, moody pictures, a powerful soundtrack. "24/7: The Passion of Life" doesn't have any of these, at least not enough for a good film. Some actors are pretty convincing, many aren't, the dialogues change from trivial to lecture-like and back - There's no in between, no subtlety. Whenever Maria starts lecturing about religion or sexual freedom, I can't quite shake of the feeling that this should have made a better essay instead of a movie. Even though none of her thoughts are really new to the rather well-educated viewer. The soundtrack mostly fits the religious background theme, although I think it's much of an over-egged pudding every now and then (as my German->English translation website tells me to put it...). Especially Mozart's Lacrimosa, whose intensity has been used up quite a bit by other movie directors already. A little more subtlety might have done some good here, too.

Also, the religious thing: It seems to be much about throwing the ingredients of sadomasochism and Religion together. I didn't really see a dynamic evolving from this mixture. But maybe I didn't get it, as I'm neither religious nor a fan of ample symbolism as much as the makers of this movie seem to be - so I tend to tune that out. Anyhow: just combining two different elements doesn' make a movie - or art in general - interesting at all. That is, unless something new evolves. Like a chemical reaction. No chemistry here, at least none that I'm aware of.

This movie isn't all bad. It's almost okay. But the sad thing is, it could have actually been very good, as the plot is promising and so is the seemingly odd combination of religion and sadomasochism.

This is a film about people searching for their own (sexual) identity. It raises many questions and it is a good basis for all sorts of discussions about sex, SM and above all the loneliness we experience on our search for identity.

It is not a bad movie... but it is not a very good one either. However, it could have been so much better....

I was incredibly excited when I heard that there would be a film about SM which is neither porn nor transporting typical clichés or stereotypes.

Indeed one of the things I liked best about this film is the fact that it is so incredibly well investigated. These filmmakers, who claim not to be into SM at all, did a brilliant job portraying why some people are into SM and what exactly they are yearning for.

I also liked the SM scenes shown - strangely beautiful and extremely well done. The religious scenes are not for the faint hearted Christian, but I loved them and they made sense to me.

Besides, I really liked the soundtrack, too.

All in all a decent film if you are NOT into SM and want to know what it is about. It is OK if you are into SM because you feel like finally a filmmaker understood what people like about it and managed to use this knowledge in the film.

BUT: No matter how much I liked the whole idea, there were some major flaws.

I expected a film like "secretary" - I loved its lightness, its humor and the fact that it was not preachy at all. However, you can't say that about this film....

First of all:

-Some actors were incredibly BAD - but that might be because some of them were no actors at all. Some of them were good because they were just playing themselves, just like that old man. He was incredible - but that was him, he wasn't acting! Because of the overall bad acting most of the dialogs sounded odd and fairly artificial(they in fact were artificial, which brings me to my next point...)

-What really ruined this movie for me were the dialogs: They were highly artificial and/or had a very strong moralizing undertone which really annoyed me. It was almost as if they were were so concerned they could fail to bring their message across that everything had to be over-verbalized. I personally like to think for myself and I love to read between the lines. This was not possible in this film. Everything was said. Every point was made way too clear in my opinion. Even though I perfectly agree with what was said I just wish they would have used the film and its storyline to convey their message and not just the sociological sermons of the dominatrix. That was too much for me.

Maybe this is is a good film for people who don't have a clue about SM or those that have just begun their journey, but it definitely isn't if you've already been on that road.

In the end, what did soothe me to some extend was the fact that even this talkative dominatrix has no answer whatsoever when it comes to the longing and the loneliness inside each and every human being.

PS, Months later....speaking of good films about the search for (sexual) identity --- better go and watch Shortbus instead.

Sexuality is still a very sensitive theme in cinema. We have tons of movies talking about greed, envy, family, success and love, but there are still very few examples for religious or sexual themes - and even less which combine these two. There is a reason for that. Sexuality is considered as dirty, Religion is considered as very private. It takes some wit to ignore both, and go deep down the rabbit hole to find some answers.

"The passion of life" is an independent production which tries to shed a sophisticated light at this topic. And unlike many other, they manage to do so without using sexuality as an eye catcher, but as the very key to the main theme.

Indeed this movie is NOT about BDSM, it is no blockbuster, and it is not trying to be. It is a movie with a strong connection to theatre and to philosophy. If you look for a kinky SM flick, look somewhere else. If you ever wondered if there is a deeper reason for sex than just breeding, look here.

For me, the most interesting part of this movie were the deep and intense discussions about lust and sin, which were far from being the typical black/white stereotype. And all the actors were quite charming in their struggle to fill their life with some sense - like we all are trying to do. Especially Marina Anna Eich as "Eva" convinced me as young, pretty successful woman, who is experiencing her new life with an amazement like Alice in Wonderland.

Don't expect an easy movie here. But in my opinion there is little chance that you ever will get such a deep look at sexuality in a cinema again any time soon.

This Roland Reber film confirms this man's inability to direct. A disjointed and pretentious film in equal parts in which Reber tries to impart his kindergarten philosophy, resulting in an embarrassing babble of psychosexual educational pamphlets more typical of those visionaries who advertise in the press selling their charlatanism for a few euros.

24/7 would be torture if it weren't for the presence of the beautiful Marina Anna Eich who stands as the only real reason to see the film. It is a pity that this actress has limited her career to work with Reber, as her only work outside of this producer is Break is much more interesting and satisfying than any attempt by Reber behind the camera.