Customer Reviews

Loss of Sexual Innocence [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

You've got to admire ambition. The Loss of Sexual Innocence is a meditative, impressionistic, mostly dialogue-less, deeply beautiful and aggressively non-linear exploration of various forms of innocence lost--or shattered. The chopped-up plot structure at first is confusing, but as the threads start to come together the parrallels drawn and metaphors presented are provocative. A film that makes its audience really think ought to be appreciated in our age of brainless blockbusters. Though it is best to keep in mind that there is no solid main point, no overall meaning you're meant to find in the film. In the end it is more like a piece of music than a story: weaving themes in and out, leaving the audience to form their own opinions and interpretations. While it doesn't succeed with flying colors, it is certainly worthwhile and interesting, and stunningly gorgeous to boot.

This is one of those movies that seems like a rental when you see it advertised on the big screen, and you become a little sad that you didn't see it there when you get home and enjoy it in the privacy of your own home. THE LOSS OF SEXUAL INNOCENCE is profoundly effective through its ability to not tell the story of an emotion or emotions, but (through non-linear structure, visual narrative and improvisation over meaning-laden dialogue, and provocative retelling of religious myth as a thread of symbolism) to actually put emotion on film. You see and feel jealousy, guilt, shame, passion, epiphany, rage, desire, despair, total confusion, and every other emotion that makes up the experience of the loss of sexual innocence. There are scenes that seem not to work as well as others. Yet even in saying that, the impulse is to critique them in the context of the linear films we are used to seeing out of Hollywood, when that isn't the kind of film the director actually made. Fans of MAGNOLIA, I think, as well as the films of Bertolucci, will like this film a lot; anyone else who is in the mood for something different should definitely follow their instincts when they go "Hmmm..." after reading the title.

This is a beautifully produced film presented in a nonlinear narrative about the innocence and experience of a man (Nic) as he grows-up.

To give a little bit of structure to the confusion expressed in some of the other reviews...

Nic is the little blond haired boy in the beginning, Nic is at the funeral of his girlfriends father, Flashback: Nic is (almost) caught with his girlfriend by her father, Nic is the fat boy looking at the photos of dead bodies, Nic is the fat boy being taunted and beaten in the gym, Nic is the man going to the cottage with his wife, and Nic is the man in the desert shooting video...

I recommend the video to the experienced art cinema patron. I did not give the film five stars because it was not overwhelmingly inspiring... it lingers with you.

At what point do we lose our innocence? Is it the one moment of actually having sex, or is it a build up of smaller things through life that slowly take it away? This film has the effect of juxtiposing two views on the question: with Adam & Eve, we have complete innocence up to the moment of having sex ..then they are thrust out into the modern adult world and expected to somehow automatically know how to survive in it. The discovery of Sex does not give them the automatic knowledge of how to deal with all its possible consequences. Interweaved with that, Figgis puts scenes from a man's developing life. Events shown that each eat away a little bit of innocence we may not have even realized we still have. The slow disintegration of Innocence through time. The effect of both instances is numbing. The most amazing scene for me involves two twins, unaware of each other's existance (both played by Saffron Burrows), who one day cross paths with each other in an airport. The set up is stunning. This scene *begs* the question: if you met up with another version of yourself, a version with a different background & different formative events, would you even be recognizable to yourself? Would you be able to relate to that other you as a person? How much have the events in our lives formed us, and how much really is biological? The only quarrel with this film I have is a series of scenes in which Mr. Figgis employed a slow fade-in/fade-out method. This was very eye-painful to watch, the fade is at such a rate you feel as though you are just slow-blinking before falling asleep. Thankfully, this is only done briefly in the film. Over all, excellent filmmaking!

I was at the video store, and I saw the cover for this movie and though "wow, this looks interesting", so I rented it. The cinematography in this film was very well done, and Saffron Burrows was really good in it. The film dealt with a lot of differen't character's problems, so I can't explain all of it. Saffron Burrows's character was a twin that was seperated at birth and when she sees her twin in an airport, things get a tad confusing for her. Also, this movie talks a lot about the creation of man and woman, very much like a modern day "Adam and Eve". I suggest you see this if you like the less main-stream movies.

I can't begin to describe this picture, to do it justice. The film is a series of short vignettes (some that are plain bizarre) that start to make sense only at the end. Figgis is on top of everything: the beautiful composition of each shot, the music, the editing, and the story. Taken as a whole, Mike Figgis just might be the most versatile and multi-talented filmmaker today. Can we start to make comparisons to Bergman? Do we dare?

In all, this movie isn't for everyone. If you fall asleep for a moment, it's all over. This is one of those litmus test movies. If you love it, you'll start to evaluate all your friends on the basis of their appreciation of this film.

I've never seen a movie by Mike Figgis (although I just rented "Leaving Las Vegas" and will watch it later) and I don't know what drew me to see this movie, but Figgis has a very interesting vision. The movie somehow stretches 103 minutes with little events or dialouge occuring. However, I barely noticed the lack of dialouge until much later in the film. The unique thing is events do occur when there is no dialouge. The movie does have a plot that unfolds very quickly and it has some of the strangest plot points I've ever seen. No synopsis could accurately describe what this movie is about or what it's going to look like, but I'll try. The movie begins in Kenya, where we meet a young boy named Nic who watches a young Kenyan girl read to an old man from The Bible in nothing but lingerie. Then, years later, Nic is with his girlfriend (who's name I don't recall) who's father has just died. She ignores him and he catches her necking with some guy in her room. Then, we go back and watch as they attempt to have sex on the floor but are caught by her father who doesn't even notice what they were trying to do. Then, we meet Nic years later. Nic is married and has a young son and his marriage is obviously (although we are never told this directly) in turmoil. But, that's OK because Nic has a mistress who also happens to work with him. He's a film producer and he's traveling to some other country to shoot a movie. During all this, we are shown short vignettes of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, discovering new things. The entire story (with no dialouge whatsoever) is told here. The snake, the fruit. Except they're thrown out by a bunch of cops and barking dogs. Odd. Some of these scenes are very explicit too (especially the ones where both of them urinate), I'm amazed they got away with only an R rating. But, as I've mentioned; there's a huge lack of dialouge.
This would be unbearable if it weren't for the score. The music in this film is absolutely amazing (and composed by Figgis, talented guy) and I'm surprised it didn't get Oscar nominated. I do agree with a lot of the reviews on this site, but this movie is pretty affecting in some parts which really does show talent if you're capable of having an affect on someone with out saying anything. The Adam & Eve section could be deleted from the film and they would not have to edit out a single other scene and the movie would still be good. But the movie's heart & soul really is these scenes. They're beautiful, if not a bit creepy. But, this is a strange movie that is not something you need to add to your DVD collection and it's not a movie you'd probably watch again. But the first time you watch it, it's a strange/weird/creepy experience.
I do recommend it, but rent it before buying.

GRADE: A-

Based to a great extent on the authors life experiences, this film consists of a series of interwoven allegories based on the eternal values of good, evil, and retribution. Autobiographical scenes taken from the authors own life often portray a reality which makes you feel that you may have once been there yourself.
This is one of a handful of films which have to be regarded as great literature. You won't watch it just once.

"The loss of sexual innocense" is a solid attempt but falls short due to over indulgence. The broken narrative is suggestive but far too inconclusive. Graphic sequences hit a little too close to home at times but the cinematography and score counter beautifully.The film is definately worth a see but not an oscar.

Although the other reviewers mention the meaning of the movie and the cinematography, I imagine few will consider these things when watching this movie. Most people will check this movie out just to see if there is as much sex in it as the title implies. It won't be anything more than a softcore porn. And for you folks into watersports, this movie may be worth looking into. It is quite possibly the only publicly released non-porno to feature pissing. I imagine finding actors to pee on film must have been very difficult.