The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1999)

Don't Believe the Hype

Better Late Then Never

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I figured out the plot(?) out by the end of the film. As confusing as it was with me, I stuck with it until the conclusion as I did with 'Eraserhead.' It's like a difficult crossword puzzle. The film is challenging. What really kept me in it was the music (most of the classics were familiar; Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven) and the photography and imagery. Having a 50" plasma screen helped also. I saw the film on Sundance, which is now airing ads. Still, the film was not edited as is always the case on Sundance, and I appreciate that.The late scene, which depicts a youthful Nigerian boy with a young white Nigerian (is that possible?) being chased by Nazi's with dogs is abstract, not because of nudity, but probably because Nazi's don't like to see blacks and whites naked TOGETHER. (do I really have to put Nazi's in upper case letters).

...Cathartic. Personal. Visceral. Human. Tense. Motivated movement. Deliberate, careful pace. Reactive. Hated or Loved. Transcendental.Not everyone will like this film. I'll venture further to say a lot of people will not like it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a chance. If you like to look at beautiful art in a museum, everything from modern art to the more traditional painterly forms, see this film. If Miles Davis' Bitches Brew speaks to you, you have the capacity to enjoy this film. If you like films that highly affect you, see this one. However, if you are looking for something with a plain, spoon-fed storyline and theme, this is not for you. Or if you don't want to think (you just want to be numbly entertained), go see something else. But to dismiss it for any other reason or to walk out of it before it is over, is a travesty. Give it the benefit of the doubt. Let it say its piece. Like all great works of art, you have to look at it as a whole.The Loss of Sexual Innocence is a bold-faced rebellion against the way people normally appreciate films. It challenges you to feel deeply and search for meanings, just as we do in everyday life; just as it is our nature to do. This film is what you get from it. It is how you see it and interpret it. One person looks at a Velazquez painting and sees an old woman cooking. Another person looks at the same painting and sees the realism of the two fish on the plate and the translucent quality of the raw egg in the soup. And yet another person sees or feels the emotion on the woman's face, empathizing with her. Figgis' film has that capacity. Look at it with those kind of eyes; open-minded. Go with the feelings that it stirs up in you, whatever they may be. Search these feelings out, even after the film is over. A strong reaction from the see-er is the true artist's goal.It is exciting to have a film like this from Mike Figgis. After his more mainstream and widely accepted Leaving Las Vegas, this is a healthy validation for him. The Loss... is masterfully crafted. Every detail and brush-stroke is intentional and utterly important. It plays like a symphony to the senses with both visual and 'audial' recapitulations and cadences; an experience that stays with you.

You are not captured to watch the movie in the first few minutes, just made confused by how the story unfolds and how it is presented to the audience. The movie jumped from story line to story line, just when you are getting interested in a part of the story, it shifts to something else. This is NOT Artful or Creative, just messy storytelling in a shoddy way! There does not seem to be one train of thought that wants to lure you into the story. Personally I would re-edit it so the story would not seem so confusing.Now I can see why it took Mike Figgis so long to find financing for this movie. The movie was so fragmented that it was pathetic. If he hadn't done Leaving Las Vegas this movie would NEVER been made! What a waste of creativeness by a director/writer and what a waste of talent for this movie.I think this script should have been left in a box somewhere to collect dust and fall apart!

THE LOSS OF SEXUAL INNOCENCE has some great parts and some bad parts. Nonetheless, a huge undertaking by Mike Figgis as he tries to connect Adam and Eve to violence and loss of culture and to almost every aspect of modern civilization. * * * The first part of the film is dazzling. A gorgeous boy runs through the fields of Northern Africa and encounters a magnificent sight. The super 16mm looks tremendous, the images enchanting, and the tone powerful. Unfortunately, Figgis starts to weave various narratives with unsuccessful title cards (though I loved the music playing during the Kelly McDonald segment) and our point of view becomes jumbled. As a result, beautifully filmed sex scenes are lost within a haze of overplayed classical music, redundant dream sequences, and pretentious portrayals of man's origin. However, the (SPOILER!) conclusion where the woman gets stabbed the natives is dramatic as it gets. * * *I have to say that although this film isn't a great watch, Mike Figgis is one of the most talented working filmmakers I've seen in a while.