MARY AND JOSEPH AT THE SEX THERAPIST: John Zmirak

...But there was one movie this year which appeared, briefly, in a few theaters, whose message will stay with me for years. It's probably not showing in your city, but you should look for it soon on DVD. Rent it and watch it with your current or prospective mate; it makes terrific fodder for discussion. Indeed, I think it ought to be shown as part of parish Pre-Cana classes--since it tells more about the Theology of the Body than a dozen well-meaning lectures.

The film is called Unscrewed, and it concerns the absence of sex. Made in the style of Spinal Tap and Best in Show, Unscrewed tells the story of a couple named Joseph and Mary St. John who love each other dearly, still find each other attractive, and are devoted to saving their marriage. They just can't seem to have sex. After six years of wedded bliss, the two have completely lost interest in intercourse--and they don't know why. In fact, it's driving them crazy. Each one still craves sex, but for some reason they can't get it together. So the couple embarks on a quest to find out what has gone wrong in their marriage--and brings us along for the ride, as empathetic voyeurs. The script is mostly improvised by the actors, to painfully plausible effect. ...

The sex is good, and it stays good for months, the film's epilogue informs us. Which makes it all the more puzzling to us that the couple decides to separate. We see each one alone, attempting to explain what finally went wrong. They admit, in the end, that the quest for healthy sex had become the focus of their marriage--"And once we achieved that, there didn't seem to be any further point in staying together. Our relationship wasn't about anything anymore," Joseph explains.

Which brings the thoughtful viewer back to one of the very first scenes in the film—a moment which passes quickly, which it's easy to miss. At the movie's outset, Mary opens her medicine cabinet, takes out a dispenser, and casually pops a birth-control pill. It seems a piece of bitter irony at the time, since the couple is miserably celibate. But perhaps there's something deeper going on. At no point in the film does either partner mention the notion of having children; in fact, none of the experts they consult show any awareness that the sex act might have some underlying biological purpose, apart from intimacy and ecstasy. It's as if all the characters lived in one of the mythical, primitive societies which had never learned the connection between sex and reproduction.

more
posted by Eve at 1:24 AM VOTE

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home