Shortbus

''Shortbus'' is a 2006 American erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in an early 2000s New York City. The characters converge in a weekly Brooklyn artistic/sexual salon loosely inspired by various underground NYC gatherings that took place in the early 2000s. According to Mitchell, the film attempts to "employ sex in new cinematic ways because it's too interesting to leave to porn." ''Shortbus'' includes a variety of explicit scenes containing non-simulated sexual intercourse with visible penetration and male ejaculation.

Plot

In New York City, Sofia Lin, a couples counselor/ sex therapist, is married to the handsome but unambitious and slightly dim-witted Rob. She comes into contact with a couple: slightly egotistical former child star Jamie and former sex worker James, the film's other lead character. At the outset, James suggests to his boyfriend that they open up their relationship to have sex with others. During their first consultation, Sofia snaps, slaps Jamie, and then apologetically reveals her "pre-orgasmic" status. The couple suggests she attend a weekly social/artistic/sexual salon in Brooklyn called "Shortbus", which is hosted by drag artist Justin Bond. Sofia slowly opens up to new experiences; this includes a friendship with a dominatrix who goes by the name Severin. Sofia's inability to achieve orgasm begins to cause conflict with Rob, who in turn begins attending Shortbus with Sofia.

James and Jamie meet a young ex-model and aspiring singer named Ceth (pronounced "Seth") and the three begin a sexual relationship. Meanwhile, James and Jamie's life is being closely watched by their across-the-street stalker neighbor, Caleb. Caleb fears the inclusion of Ceth in James and Jamie's relationship might break them up and thus destroy his ability to live vicariously through them, so he attends Shortbus, where he confronts Ceth. Sofia begins to go daily to a spa with a sensory deprivation tank to meet with Severin, and the two begin to have intense conversations. Severin begins to help Sofia loosen up sexually; Sofia helps Severin achieve a deeper human connection than she had experienced before. One evening at Shortbus, Severin discusses with Sofia the idea of giving up sex work to pursue her dream of being an artist. The two then have an unplanned sexual experience, and once again Sofia is left unsatisfied.

Throughout the film, James is seen making a film about himself and his relationship. It turns out to be a suicide note. He attempts to take his own life and is rescued by Caleb, who calls for help, but is too embarrassed to wait with James for the help to arrive. He writes his phone number and email address on James' face while he is unconscious. When James wakes in the hospital, he calls Caleb. James goes to Caleb's home to be consoled, but does not contact Jamie or Ceth, neither of whom can understand why he would not call them or come home.

An interlocking trio of scenes shows connections between the characters' emotional problems and their sexual lives. At Caleb's house, he and James have sex, and James allows Caleb to penetrate him, something he has never allowed anyone to do before. Afterward, in a dramatic revelation, James is seen in the window of Caleb's apartment by Jamie, who realizes in that moment that James is alive and okay. Rob and Severin have a paid encounter where Rob asks to be flogged, something he could not ask Sofia to do. As this progresses, Severin loses control and Rob tries to comfort her. Sofia seems to have a dream of struggling through an overgrown, wild forested area to a gentle seashore where she tries to achieve orgasm again. On failing, she screams, and in the real world the lights go off across the city, seemingly caused by the simultaneous and collective frustration of the characters.

The film ends with a song by Justin Bond at Shortbus during the blackout. Sofia arrives and finds Rob with Severin and after acknowledging him sits down by herself. James and Jamie also arrive followed by Ceth and Caleb. Justin's song starts on a wistful note, but as it progresses it becomes more energetic and positive thanks to the arrival of the Hungry March Band. This is mirrored in the actions and emotions of the actors. Jamie and James make out on the floor, and Ceth and Caleb start to hit it off. Rob seems to find a friend, and Severin progresses from nervous anxiety to happy elation upon the arrival of the band. Sofia engages in a threesome with a couple (Nick and Leah) she has seen several times before and who appear to meet her prerequisite of "just beginning to experiment sexually" and finally achieves an orgasm, and the blackout affecting New York ends, as does the film.

Cast

* Sook-Yin Lee as Sofia Lin
* Paul Dawson as James
* Lindsay Beamish as Severin
* PJ DeBoy as Jamie
* Raphael Barker as Rob
* Peter Stickles as Caleb
* Jay Brannan as Ceth
* Alan Mandell as Mayor Tobias
* Jan Hilmer and Shanti Carson as Nick and Leah
* Justin Vivian Bond as vself / Mistress of Shortbus
* The Hungry March Band as Themselves

Cameo appearances

* Director/writer Mitchell is featured in two shots in the Sex-Not-Bombs Room: the first, kissing a dark-haired man; and the second, performing cunnilingus on a woman sitting on a couch.
* Jonathan Caouette, director of ''Tarnation'', as the man who steals some "blondies" off a plate in the Sex-Not-Bombs Room. Mitchell met him when Caouette auditioned for ''Shortbus'' and subsequently became executive producer of ''Tarnation''.
* Mary Beth Peil as the woman with her hand down the storm drain (Severin takes a Polaroid of her).
* Singer-songwriter Reginald Vermue (aka Gentleman Reg) has a song on the soundtrack and appears as "The Albino"
* Tristan Taormino, a sex columnist and porn film director/occasional actress, is one of the participants in the orgy sequence."How to Shoot Sex: A Docu-Primer" (2007): Shortbus Region 1 DVD release (Th!nk Film)
* Comedian Bradford Scobie (Doctor Donut)
* Singer-songwriter Jasper James, who also appears on the soundtrack, has a cameo as the woman on whom Mitchell is performing oral sex (on the couch next to Rob).
* Comedian/bon vivant Murray Hill (on the swing)
* Acrobat-comedians The Wau Wau Sisters (on the trapeze)
* Miss Exotic World 2004 Dirty Martini (doing the strip tease)
* Burlesque star The World-Famous *Bob* (sitting with the Mayor in the Truth-Or-Dare Room)
* Ray Rivas, like his character Shabbos goy, is known for his blood-inclusive brand of extreme performance art which he performed at DUMBA.
* Bitch, of the bands Bitch and Animal and "Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion", plays herself.
* Daniela Sea, queercore musician and former circus juggler of Cypher in the Snow and cast member of ''The L Word'', plays themselves as Little Prince, their Radical Faerie nickname.
* JD Samson of the band Le Tigre (who actually played their first show in DUMBA) appears in the "Bitch's Bedroom" scene.
* Justin Tranter, lead singer of the band Semi Precious Weapons, is a spectator in Shortbus.

Production

The audition website elicited half a million hits and 500 audition tape submissions. Forty people were called in for improv auditions and nine actors were cast, all before there was any story in mind. The film's characters and story were created collaboratively over 2.5 years through improvisation workshops with the cast. Mitchell wrote the screenplay from the raw material generated by the workshops and rehearsals.

Much of the sex in the film is unsimulated. Mitchell says:

As indicated in the DVD special features, Lee and Shanti Carson each suggested they be filmed having real orgasms rather than fake them, specifically for the final scene involving Lee and the orgy sequence involving Carson. Mitchell also participated in the latter scene, performing oral sex on a woman for the first time "as a gesture of solidarity".

The panoramic cityscape interspersed through the film was completely computer-generated and designed by John Bair.

In the opening sequence in which Sook-Yin Lee and Raphael Barker are engaged in a session of unsimulated vaginal intercourse, the actress wore a female condom. "They wanted to make sure it was safe sex, and it would look weird if my husband was wearing a condom," Lee explained.

Sook-Yin Lee said she had a boyfriend at the time of filming. She revealed he was "very supportive" regarding her real sex scenes with her "dear friend" Raphael Barker.

Mitchell said one of the things he wanted to depict in the film was a growing sense of disconnect between people due to the rise of digital culture. Of one of the film's opening scenes where the character James cries immediately after masturbating alone on camera, Mitchell commented, "That, to me, is the strongest metaphor for how sad and lonely today's digital culture is."

Inspiration

The characters all converge on a weekly underground gathering or salon called Shortbus, inspired by the short yellow school buses for "challenged" students. The Shortbus salon was loosely based on a series of New York social/artistic/sexual gatherings. One was the monthly "Shortbus Sweaty Teenage Dance Party" organized by Mitchell (2002) as "DJ Dear Tic", his Radical Faerie nickname (Mitchell was influenced by annual Radical Faerie counter-cultural gatherings in Tennessee and New Orleans