The naked human body is a beautiful object. The millions of years of evolution necessary to create such a wonderful thing are almost unfathomable. And yet, looking at this creation in all its glory is enough to get the MPAA flustered and numerous people writing letters to their congressmen. On the other hand, beating the hell out of this natural work of art and devising intricate ways of killing it on-screen doesn’t seem to bother anyone.

Writer/director Patrice Chereau’s latest film Intimacy is a project that knows all too well the pains (and irrational headaches) associated with suggesting that human sexuality might be a positive element in American culture, thanks to a scene of oral sex that has been cut from the video release.

Intimacy focuses on the demise of the relationship between Jay (Mark Rylance) and Claire (Kerry Fox). Every Wednesday at 2:00 PM, Claire shows up at Jay’s apartment in London and the two have passionate sex. Claire then leaves to repeat the pattern the next week. Neither Claire nor Jay knows anything about the other; as Jay explains it, Claire is a one-night stand who somehow got the idea that she could come back for more. Claire and Jay’s relationship is going swimmingly until, Jay decides that he wants more. Following Claire home from his apartment one day, Jay is shocked to learn that she is married. Hurting from this discovery, Jay begins to form a friendship with Claire’s husband, Andy (Timothy Spall).

On the surface, it might seem as though Intimacy covers a lot of ground that has been seen before in other movies. The truth of the matter though is that Chereau’s film investigates the pains of desire and denied love on a deeper level than almost any other film. In and of itself, this makes Jay and Claire’s story fresh and original; it also makes the pair that much more real to the audience.

Shooting Intimacy in smaller, older apartments and on rain soaked streets, this is not the story of a failing bookstore owner who somehow manages to afford a $3,000 a month apartment ala Notting Hill. Chereau’s lens is grounded and filled with the more gritty elements of London. Jay lives in an apartment it would be generous to call a dump; lacking even a bed, Jay and Claire engage in their trysts on the floor on a quilt. However, these production choices well fit the emotional context of their relationship

Engaging and filled with a depth and emotion rarely seen on American shores, Intimacy is a fascinating voyage into a unique relationship.

chris neumer

yes, it's true: There is actually an annual "San Francisco Sex Worker Film and Video Festival"