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9 SONGS
Directed by: Michael Winterbottom.
Produced by: Andrew Eaton.
Director of Photography: Marcel Zyskind.
Edited by: Mat Whitecross & Michael Winterbottom.
Released by: Tartan.
Country of Origin: UK. 69 min. Not Rated.
With: Kieran O'Brien & Margo Stilley.

In the wistful and slight 9 Songs, Matt (Kieran O'Brien) reminisces on his one-sided affair with a blithe and blasé American, Lisa (Margo Stilley). He first meets her at a concert at London's Brixton Academy. Then the foreplay begins. It is the sex scenes that enliven this film; it certainly isn't the lovers' banter, which isn't far removed from a typical porno film. The few scenes that depict the relationship out of the bedroom are only skin-deep, with seemingly improvised dialogue; she: "Sometimes when you kiss me, I want to bite you" or the more confrontational, "You are so boring today." And yes, the sex is real, which includes light bondage and slight girl-on-girl action as a lap dancer flirts with Lisa. But unlike the dour and impersonal graphic sex in French films, such as Bruno Dumont's La Vie de Jésus or Catherine Breillat's Romance, here the connection is intimate, and in at least one scene, clearly enjoyable - at least for Matt. 9 Songs is an undeniably sexy film, albeit one with a thin story line. Playing young bohemians, Stilley is a willowy model making her film debut, and O'Brien has the built and looks of a lightweight boxer.

In comparison, the concert footage is repetitive, filmed in dark concert halls with thousands of heads bopping up and down - to music. Given that some are better than others, the songs by the alternative rock bands - Franz Ferdinand, Primal Scream, etc. - blend together. The exception occurs when the lovers attend a concert of pianist Michael Nyman, or have sex to Satie. Kent Turner
July 22, 2005