OCTOBER 20 2006
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Mitchell catches up with fellow queer filmmaker Gus Van Sant after the Portland premiere of
Shortbus.
And if you think about it, 95 percent of the sex in
SB: And you got a standing ovation at
Shortbus is unsuccessful and ridiculous and slightly ! Cannes.
desperate.
JCM: Yes, at 2:30 a.m. I had actually fallen
It’s funny how many people say: “It’s not what
asleep. It was a gixxl way to wake up.
I expected. It’s more emotional and funnier than
1 expected.” 1 thought, “Isn’t that an odd state
SB: How did you film the sex scenes?
ment?” Surely in their own lives sex is connect
JCM: I asked the actors what they wanted, and
ed to emotions and vulnerability and humor. If
they usually wanted minimal crew and the cinema
it’s not, doesn’t that say something about your
tographer. We tried to keep the cameras as far away
life? Or about American cinema, because it | as possible.
doesn’t show that. Laughter is a way of diffusing
tension about things we find irrational. A sense
SB: Were the orgy scenes choreographed?
of humor is one of the top things that most
JCM: I put couples and partners in-certain
people search for in a relationship. That’s what i spots, and they discussed sexual safety issues
between themselves. Some were pre-existing
lasts. The bodies don’t.
couples, so that was already inherent in the
SB: Are there other American films that you
relationship. Emotional safety was important, too.
think are really honest about sex?
1 asked if they wanted me to leave the room, but
JCM: Well, there’s honesty about sex without
they always wanted me right there instead of far
explicitness. There are lots of interesting movies
away at a monitor.
about relationships coming out of American cine
ma. As far as being very explicit, 1 can’t think of
SB: Did any of your actors get cold feet?
any that I liked that were American movies.
JCM: There were definitely nerves, but no one
And very few movies outside America, too. I didn’t want to film a scene. We all worked through
it. We had been working together for a long time.
There have been dozens of films that have used real
It was just a matter of talking through it or taking
sex in the last 10 years out of Europe. It’s a genre
like musicals. But all of them are negative about I Viagra or whatever it tixik. It was usually more
ihoiit “Can I perform?" rather than “Will I he
sex. 1 understand it, because the directors are
seen ?’’
working some shit out. Guilt. Abuse. And often
they’re doing it in an honest and powerful way.
SB: Obviously Shortbus alone will not change
A film like Catherine Breillat’s Fat Girl is brilliant.
But that isn’t the kind of film that I wanted to our culture, hut in the long run how can we
arrive at a place in American society where we’re
make,Though I admired it and was very affected by
it. There’s so much darkness in the world. You’ve
not so tied up about sex?
JCM: I have no idea. All I can do is make my
gotta have a little mercy.
little thing for a few people, and hopefully it will
encourage other people to examine language of
SB: Are you hitting any distribution problems?
sex or any other thing that we as a culture are
JCM: Well, we thought we would. Cannes was
our premiere. All the distributors were there. We
afraid of.
were positive that no major studio would be
STEPHEN B lair is a Portland freelance writer. Two
involved with this because they’re all signatory
of his favorite films about sex are Luis Bunuel's Belle
MPAA. They’re sensitive to boycotts and all that.
de Jour and Bruce La Bruce's The Raspberry
But we had 12 offers from independent distributors
Reich.
just in the U.S. alone.
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