John Cameron Mitchell, who created a cult sensation as writer and director
of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," blazes a brave new trail with this comedy-drama
which combines the stories of a handful of emotionally unsatisfied New Yorkers
with some of the most explicit sexual material to ever appear in a mainstream
motion picture. Sofia (Sook-Yin Lee) is a couples' therapist who has a major
relationship problem of her own -- she's never had an orgasm, and her husband
Rob (Raphael Barker) doesn't seem capable of giving her one. Sophia's clients
include James and Jamie (Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy), a gay couple who have been
together for five years and are beginning to grow tired of one another. As James
and Jamie discuss the possibility of bringing another man into the bedroom,
Sophia accidentally mentions her problem, and they tell her of an upcoming
"Shortbus Party," a sexual free-for-all in which straight, gay, and lesbian
couples are all welcome to either talk about sex or take a more active role in
the main ballroom. As James and Jamie hook up with Ceth (Jay Brannan) for some
mutually satisfying action at the bash, Sophia experiments with Sapphic
diversions, and begins to truly find herself when she encounters Severin
(Lindsay Beamish), a professional dominatrix. However, while Sophia begins to
find what she needs with Severin, she discovers that while Severin is able to
casually enter into a sexual relationship, she's never been able to emotionally
commit herself to someone else. Shortbus was screened in competition at the 2006
Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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