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Reviews
Confusions of an Unmarried Couple (2007)
a great mix of funny, profound and risqué moments
Canadian filmmakers Brett and Jason Butler are obsessed with sex. In their film Bums, they chronicled the single guy's Saturday night search for a hook-up. In Confusions of an Unmarried Couple, they take a look at the sexual issues of Dan and Lisa's relationship: the excitement in the beginning, the boredom as time goes by, adultery, lesbianism, breaking up, making up, loneliness and the pre-planning needed to successfully participate in a threesome.
Dan and Lisa have broken up because of Lisa's adultery with another woman. After weeks of depression spent sleeping on a friend's sofa consuming too many beers (and not bathing or shaving nearly enough), Dan decides to go back to Lisa's place to reclaim some of his possessions and hopefully a bit of his dignity. This leads to a sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-profound afternoon of their yelling at each other, revisiting old wounds and creating new ones. Interspersed throughout this present-day afternoon fight is confessional video footage of Dan and Lisa shot over the past few weeks since the breakup, where they've each revealed far more to the camera than they ever did to each other.
The Butlers' creative use of "chapter breaks" that show past photos of the happy couple and highlight the issues that the couple struggle with (tact, fidelity, maturity) is a unique way to break up the film. These breaks, coupled with the videotaped confessional flashbacks, give the film a whimsical non-linear quality that avoids the potential overkill of watching a couple fight for an hour. Actors Brett Butler (Dan) (who also wrote and co-directed the film) and Naomi Johnson (Lisa) portray this couple realistically and passionately without going over the top.
This is not your run-of-the-mill indie comedy-drama, by any means. Confusions of an Unmarried Couple is a unique mix: an engaging relationship drama combined with a risqué sexual comedy, sprinkled with deeply profound observations about sex and dating. In addition to the obsession with sex, this film contains all of the other items I consider to be standard in any Butlers brothers' film: solid writing, creative directing and a great soundtrack. Plus, there's a small homage to John Hughes and an unusual ending.
This film is like my favorite candy: a little sweet, a little tart, just the right size, leaves no bad aftertaste, and I want to share it with my friends.
Purgatory House (2004)
Brilliant, moving and powerful
I recently saw Purgatory House at the Gasparilla Film Festival. This film is brilliant, incredible, moving, powerful and breathtaking. A 14-year-old girl wrote this story about a 14-year old who committed suicide and ends up in Purgatory House, a sort of dorm for teens who've killed themselves. They have to wear the same clothes they had on when they died, can do all the drugs they want (who cares?), and have to attend "school" where they watch Earth TV to keep track of the people they left behind.
There were several funny parts (God is a drag queen who isn't really all that kind and loving, who makes the recently deceased compete in a game show to determine if they go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory). In addition to being funny, Purgatory House is deeply profound. Parents should show this film to their children and movie lovers should show it to their friends.