Josh Lawson's directorial debut The Little Death toys with the idea of fetishes in a way that really tries to tenderly stroke the principles of the fluffy romantic comedies that make things easy to digest. While this may work in terms of getting people to see this film based on optimism that it will pander to the conventions they've seen in the past, the frustrating element is that Lawson can find himself dancing around the fetishes themselves and why we find ourselves having the sexual fantasies we do, or simply struggling to balance a multitude of characters stories and paths cohesively.
Lawson tries to profile a number of fetishes through multiple different couples. The first couple we meet is Paul and Maeve (Josh Lawson and Bojana Novakovic). Paul has a foot fetish, which is a relatively common fetish in the grand scheme, which he believes Maeve too finds quite erotic. However, when Maeve reveals to him that she has a rape fantasy, another fetish that seems to be more common than people would believe, he becomes uneasy. Maeve's desire for intense domination and unpredictable sexual satisfaction becomes the object of Paul's immediate plan of action, going to the ends of the Earth to try and concoct a believable fantasy to please his wife. A terrific scene comes when Paul and one of his friends discuss the inherent flaw with a rape fantasy, saying that once it's anticipated, or even appreciated it, can never be as effective as rape normally is.
Dan and Evie (Damon Herriman and Kate Mulvany) are attempting to reunite their sexual spark, and one of the suggestions by their marriage therapist is engaging in roleplaying. Dan winds up getting invested with his characters, even trying his hand at an acting class, while Evie struggles to maintain composure during their meticulously detailed scenes. Meanwhile, Richard and Rowena (Patrick Brammall and Kate Box) have been attempting to have a baby for quite some time to no avail. We meet the couple in the middle of Richard's solo masturbation, which concludes with Rowena trying to use his deposit as the umpteenth attempt. When Richard's father suddenly dies, however, Rowena discovers that the sight of her husband crying arouses her entirely, which results in numerous attempts by her to make him cry. One of her attempts is dumping their beloved dog off at a friend's house, saying he ran away, sending Richard into a downward spiral of sadness that Rowena cannot contain.
Then there's the souring marriage of Phil and Maureen (Alan Dukes and Lisa McCune). Phil is a pathetic shell of a man, slaving away at an office job and she's a contemptible, nagging bitch in his eyes. Their sex life is nonexistent, with Maureen rejecting all of his advances. Phil resorts to drugging Maureen's tea at night, so she is knocked unconscious, resulting in the best sex of his life. This is a slight combination of nonconsenual sex on the male's behalf and costume play, for Phil likes to doll her up before sex.
Yet, probably the cutest relationship of all is between Monica and Sam (Erin James and T.J. Power). Monica is a communication operator, communicating through videochat to callers that are deaf through the use of sign language. Her skills are put to the test when one of her callers requests the needs of a phone sex operator, who will, in turn, speak to Monica while she signs to Sam, who will sign his requests of the woman through Monica. The result winds up being as convoluted but as uproariously funny as The Little Death gets, with sweet and simple Monica caught reciting some of the dirtiest phrases she has ever uttered in her life, all while enjoying the company of a good-natured human who just wants to feel some companionship in the midst of loneliness and isolation.
Fetishes are the kind of thing we, as people, need to have a conversation about. Since Paul Mazursky's hilarious comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, a late sixties byproduct of New Hollywood tendencies and being open ended about sexuality and sexual experimentation, sex has become more and more of a popular inclusion in American films, and while there will always be the raunchy comedy that is there to poke fun at the perils and the goofiness of intercourse, there will always be the filmmakers who search to find some sort of emotion or deep-rooted aspect of heart and soul within the repeated thrustings and eventual climax.
Lawson could very well be one of those souls, but as occasionally interesting and sporadically funny as The Little Death (a title referring to an orgasm) is, it's ultimately too scattershot to recommend. Like many anthology films that revolve around assorted characters with a barrage of different problems, it suffers from introducing lofty concepts, in this case, fetishes, and characters with the potential to be rich and developed, but doesn't wind up doing much with them other than placing them within the confines of sitcom clichés. The fun had here is mostly in a juvenile sense when it should be in a contemplative, revealing sense.
Starring: Josh Lawson, Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Patrick Brammall, Kate Box, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Erin James, and T.J. Power. Directed by: Josh Lawson.
Lawson tries to profile a number of fetishes through multiple different couples. The first couple we meet is Paul and Maeve (Josh Lawson and Bojana Novakovic). Paul has a foot fetish, which is a relatively common fetish in the grand scheme, which he believes Maeve too finds quite erotic. However, when Maeve reveals to him that she has a rape fantasy, another fetish that seems to be more common than people would believe, he becomes uneasy. Maeve's desire for intense domination and unpredictable sexual satisfaction becomes the object of Paul's immediate plan of action, going to the ends of the Earth to try and concoct a believable fantasy to please his wife. A terrific scene comes when Paul and one of his friends discuss the inherent flaw with a rape fantasy, saying that once it's anticipated, or even appreciated it, can never be as effective as rape normally is.
Dan and Evie (Damon Herriman and Kate Mulvany) are attempting to reunite their sexual spark, and one of the suggestions by their marriage therapist is engaging in roleplaying. Dan winds up getting invested with his characters, even trying his hand at an acting class, while Evie struggles to maintain composure during their meticulously detailed scenes. Meanwhile, Richard and Rowena (Patrick Brammall and Kate Box) have been attempting to have a baby for quite some time to no avail. We meet the couple in the middle of Richard's solo masturbation, which concludes with Rowena trying to use his deposit as the umpteenth attempt. When Richard's father suddenly dies, however, Rowena discovers that the sight of her husband crying arouses her entirely, which results in numerous attempts by her to make him cry. One of her attempts is dumping their beloved dog off at a friend's house, saying he ran away, sending Richard into a downward spiral of sadness that Rowena cannot contain.
Then there's the souring marriage of Phil and Maureen (Alan Dukes and Lisa McCune). Phil is a pathetic shell of a man, slaving away at an office job and she's a contemptible, nagging bitch in his eyes. Their sex life is nonexistent, with Maureen rejecting all of his advances. Phil resorts to drugging Maureen's tea at night, so she is knocked unconscious, resulting in the best sex of his life. This is a slight combination of nonconsenual sex on the male's behalf and costume play, for Phil likes to doll her up before sex.
Yet, probably the cutest relationship of all is between Monica and Sam (Erin James and T.J. Power). Monica is a communication operator, communicating through videochat to callers that are deaf through the use of sign language. Her skills are put to the test when one of her callers requests the needs of a phone sex operator, who will, in turn, speak to Monica while she signs to Sam, who will sign his requests of the woman through Monica. The result winds up being as convoluted but as uproariously funny as The Little Death gets, with sweet and simple Monica caught reciting some of the dirtiest phrases she has ever uttered in her life, all while enjoying the company of a good-natured human who just wants to feel some companionship in the midst of loneliness and isolation.
Fetishes are the kind of thing we, as people, need to have a conversation about. Since Paul Mazursky's hilarious comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, a late sixties byproduct of New Hollywood tendencies and being open ended about sexuality and sexual experimentation, sex has become more and more of a popular inclusion in American films, and while there will always be the raunchy comedy that is there to poke fun at the perils and the goofiness of intercourse, there will always be the filmmakers who search to find some sort of emotion or deep-rooted aspect of heart and soul within the repeated thrustings and eventual climax.
Lawson could very well be one of those souls, but as occasionally interesting and sporadically funny as The Little Death (a title referring to an orgasm) is, it's ultimately too scattershot to recommend. Like many anthology films that revolve around assorted characters with a barrage of different problems, it suffers from introducing lofty concepts, in this case, fetishes, and characters with the potential to be rich and developed, but doesn't wind up doing much with them other than placing them within the confines of sitcom clichés. The fun had here is mostly in a juvenile sense when it should be in a contemplative, revealing sense.
Starring: Josh Lawson, Bojana Novakovic, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Patrick Brammall, Kate Box, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Erin James, and T.J. Power. Directed by: Josh Lawson.