XX/XY (2002)

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is a story about the high personal cost of indecision. The story unfolds slowly, but this is necessary to develop the characters fully so that we can come to understand their wants and needs firsthand. Coles (Mark Ruffalo) is an artist who can't seem to make a real decision in his life and, as a result, eventually loses the only woman he ever really loved to another, more decisive man. He learns too late that "no decision is a decision". The viewer, likewise, does not realize in the beginning that Coles' indecisiveness is going to hurt him badly, and others too, since he seems to recover well several times from his errors in judgment concerning his love life. He is a lovable young man and, Sam, the woman he meets and falls in love with, forgives and forgets his many mistakes in their relationship, until one day she has been hurt too much and leaves his life for several years. Coles goes on with his life and begins living with another woman, Claire, whom he seems to love. But when Sam returns years later and bumps into him, their love for each other reignites with its original passion, and he is faced with a crucial decision: choose Sam and break off his seemingly strong relationship with Claire, or stay with Claire and let Sam go on with her life. Again, he cannot make a decision, and so circumstances decide his fate, rather than he himself. Not only does he lose Sam and a future with her (she marries a man named Jonathon suddenly), but he also loses Claire's love and respect, since Claire figures out that he loves Sam. The viewer can feel Coles' agony when he discovers that Sam has gotten married and may even pity him, but at the same time the viewer cannot ignore that Coles chose this outcome for himself simply by not choosing any other outcome.

Three college-age swingers "get together" for some fun, and in the course of a few months grow emotionally close to each other. The central character is Coles (Mark Ruffalo), a libertine who draws artwork and wants to be a filmmaker. The two women are attractive, and as arty and modern in outlook as Coles. But over time, the three drift apart. Five years later Coles and one of the ladies cross paths, which sparks a reunion between the three, together with their current mates. "XX/XY" is a cinematic study in growing up, making decisions, and accepting responsibility for those decisions.The screenplay is weak, with a mediocre premise, an Act Two that dawdles and meanders, and dialogue that is not memorable. Still, the overall acting is strong enough to overcome the screenplay, and render a film that is mildly entertaining and engaging. It's certainly better than what I had expected.The film's cinematography is not remarkable, but it's not bad either. I don't recall a film with so many close-up shots. It's as if the director wanted to emphasize that the film is a character study, by zooming in close to each of the main characters, over and over and over. I could have wished for more variety in camera techniques.Also, given the romantic angle of the story and the arty personalities, I could have wished for a more bohemian cinematic style, along the lines of "Plein soleil"(1960), with dazzling colors and music, and more flair in production design. The apparent low budget of "XX/XY" renders a style that is somewhat pedestrian and bland.But as is, "XX/XY" is not a bad film. It's worth at least a one time visit, especially for youthful viewers still searching for themselves and not yet committed to any particular path in life.

What can I say about this XX/XY? It starts off promising with the 90's stuff and raver scenes, but doesn't nearly have enough back story to make us really give a care about the three main characters. The lady who plays Sam is an alright actress, I think she's one of the highlights. Also, it's refreshing to see Mark Ruffalo clean shaved. He looks good in this, but alas, his acting is pretty lazy and not up to his usual standard. Thea is played by Kathleen Robertson, and at least she tries. The dialogue in this film is the most wooden I've heard in a non porno. It doesn't come off as sincere, and the acting is lacklustre. Mark Ruffalo doesn't deserve such a bad movie. He's probably the redeeming quality about this. But even Mark Ruffalo can't save this relationship drama that plays out more like a movie of the week than an indie film. Awkward sex scenes, awkward dialogue, style over substance. Pass.

Austin Chick's movie starts with a great shimmer, gruff Ruffalo follows an enigmatic prey in the shape of Maya Strange home, hand-held camera as much as a voyeur as he is. What emerges is a College frat party where Ruffalo rolls around with Maya and her best girl pal Kathleen Robertson who have a greater understanding of sexual sharing than Ruffalo.Despite Ruffalo's obvious attraction to Maya, though more than willing to fool around with both, when the film fast forward's to a decade later, Ruffalo is shacked up with clean and sensible Claire in a subtle performance by Petra Wright From now, the film falls as flat as Ruffalo's new nerdy haircut. What exactly happened in those 10 years? It's in there somewhere but suddenly we're watching a completely different, slower, duller film that we no longer care about. The inevitable reappearance of one of the college girls is no surprise (nor a surprise as to who it is) and the artificial denouement leads to further disappointment. A huge anti-climax.