LYCOS RETRIEVER 
9 Songs
built 119 days ago
Heralded as the first British film featuring “frequent strong real sex” to receive an 18 rating, 9 Songs is director Michael Winterbottom's ode to physical love. Unfolding against the backdrop of a series of concerts (from artists including Franz Ferdinand and Primal Scream, most of which were filmed at London's Brixton Academy), this explores the sexual relationship between lanky American student Lisa (newcomer Margo Stiller) and British research scientist Matt (Keiran O'Brien). Instead of a lesson in how hedonistic two people can be, their romp-fuelled four months together demonstrates how a generation deals with loneliness. From the hot, blurry chaos of the gigs to the sparsely-furnished flat where the couple unite, this is very much an exercise in style over content. As such, some will find it a rewarding art-house experiment with much to recommend it, others watching simply for the explicit and unsimulated lovemaking may well find it boring and pretentious.
Source:
Like Irreversible, Baise-Moi and Ken Park, 9 Songs is another international movie marked by a recent tussle with Australian censors because of graphic sex scenes. On review earlier this year, thankfully it found a reprieve from its original X-rating, meaning consenting adults over 18 can now see it in general release.
Source:
If the content of 9 Songs sparks accusation, detractors will ... claim that the context of the offending material furthers their argument. Like any self-respecting porno, the film has no real story to speak of, offers little emotional hook and conveys no tangible sense of character. However, for the most part it also does much more than simply document the fact of sexual relations. Shooting on handheld DV, Winterbottom opts for a heightened, grainy realism that distinguished Wonderland (1999), 24 Hour Party People (2002) and In This World (2002) and rejects mainstream porn's overt staginess. Often the camera is as intimate with Lisa and Matt as they are with each other, getting so close to its subjects as to initially render their body parts unrecognisable. At other times it adopts a more observational position - one memorable scene has the couple lying silently at either end of the bath as Lisa arouses Matt with her feet.
Source:
In 9 Songs, Michael Winterbottom blurs the line between pornography and art in a way rarely seen by a mainstream director. However, there are many differences between 9 Songs and a regular porn movie. For a start the couple, although attractive and slim, are far removed from a Russ Meyer fantasy or a huge schlonged Italian Stallion.
Source:
Shot on digital cameras, 9 Songs perhaps looks as good as could be expected under the circumstances. The photography is intentionally dingy and underlit and both aspects are captured perfectly well by the disc. Certainly, there are no technical difficulties to speak of, the anamorphic transfer (at a ratio 1.78:1) being fine. As for the soundtrack, options of DD2.0 and DD5.1 are offered. Given the films musical nature, the latter is far preferable giving a real sense of the bands and musicians in performance as well as capturing the low-key dialogue without fuss.
Source:
Beyond fornication, the "plot" and rationale of 9 Songs is left open to the interpretation by the viewer. It can mean different things to different people, depending on their own experiences and if they connect with any scenes from the film. On paper, the movie is armed with an impressive soundtrack. In reality, it was squandered. The actual sound intensity of the gigs and the soundtrack were far too low, and the film lacked atmosphere because of it.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
9 Songs