Directed by:
Steven SoderberghScreenplay:
Steven SoderberghCinematography:
Walt LloydComposer:
Cliff MartinezVOD (1)
Plots(1)
With his provocative feature debut, twenty-six-year-old Steven Soderbergh trained his focus on the complexities of human intimacy and deception in the modern age. Housewife Ann (Andie MacDowell) feels distant from her lawyer husband, John (Peter Gallagher), who is sleeping with her sister (Laura San Giacomo). When John’s old friend Graham (a magnetic, Cannes-award-winning James Spader) comes to town, Ann is drawn to the soft-spoken outsider, eventually uncovering his startling private obsession: videotaping women as they confess their deepest desires. A piercingly intelligent and flawlessly performed chamber piece, in which the video camera becomes a charged metaphor for the characters’ isolation, the Palme d’Or–winning Sex, Lies, and Videotape changed the landscape of American film, helping pave the way for the thriving independent scene of the 1990s. (Criterion)
(more)Reviews (7)
Sex, Lies, and Videotape became a big surprise of 1989 and its commercial success and critical acclaim catapulted Soderbergh into the filmmaking elite of the United States. The film, based on a clever script full of interesting dialogues, is a tragicomedy dealing with the fates of several middle-class Americans who struggle with their sexual and family lives. A subtle but powerful film that will leave a lasting impression on the viewer. The film was a great success for Andie MacDowell, who established herself as a film star and went on to make several successful blockbusters in the 90s. Overall impression: 80%.
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Steven Soderbergh and his superb ability to reflect human feelings without being overwrought or theatrical. It takes wit, lightness and, of course, some life experience to make a drama about relationships in such a way that it feels natural and the viewers don’t have to shake their heads at the illogical and often inexplicable behavior of the characters. Considering that Steven Soderbergh wrote the script himself at the age of 26 (probably a little earlier), I have no choice but to give him a deep bow. A psychological study like crazy, topped off with excellent performances and absolutely perfect dialogue.
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Already in his first feature film, Steven Soderbergh showed that he is a very capable auteur who can delve deeply into the human soul, and he doesn't mind discussing topics that are unpleasant for some or that one may not want to openly talk about. In this case, it is sexuality that comes to life amazingly through the performances, essentially without the need to explicitly film the actual act.
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Steven Soderberg is a very demanding director. But when his movies get under your skin, you’ll be duly rewarded. It took me a long time to get to this movie. Who would have thought that open discussions about sexuality could make for such a strong tension? James Spyder is absolutely incredible in this movie and I must admit that although I wasn’t expecting it at first, I was bating my breath by the end. Sex, Lies and Videotape is a very personal and private movie, but the actors themselves take it to new heights.
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I watched it on the computer. It’s a film that I liked at first sight and will sure watch again. Sex, Lies, and Videotape is a successful feature début by Steven Soderbergh. The four protagonists, none of whom is the prototype of a person I’d like to be friends with, are portrayed in such way that by the end they had earned a little of my sympathy, with the exception of the one that appears to be the most normal. An impressive study on relationships and pathological social behaviour. Interesting film.
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