My Year Without Sex (2010)

Fresh and Exciting

Fantastic!

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I attended the North American Premiere of "My Year Without Sex" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The obviously titillating and suggestive title may be a bit misleading, but writer/director Sarah Watt has hit the jackpot with this sweet little Australian dramedy. After a brain aneurysm, Natalie (Sacha Horler) is advised by her doctor to avoid certain risky behaviors. Mayhem ensues. The script is sexy without being too bawdy, but I'd recommend it for ages 14+ and there are some Aussie references that may get past viewers. I loved the cute soundtrack and clever structure, with title cards presenting each month of the year as a separate segment with its own sexually suggestive title (Foreplay, Going Down...). But strong performances make this film worth seeing.

When one enters a cinema noting that 90% of the audience is female, one expects 'chick lit' or a weepie. Sarah Watt is a great storyteller, but chick lit is not her scene. In episodic form, she portrays an ordinary family as they experience near-tragedy and misfortune, but come out of it with just a little bit of luck. This is a love story, and it portrays how a close family can overcome great stress by knowing love for each other. The key character is Natalie, played by Sacha Horler, a brave actor who can handle difficult parts superbly. Watt ignores the old rule: never appear with children and dogs. The children are truly very good, the dogs well-behaved. Does it help that members of the author's family are well represented? Look for 'Antoinette'. This is Watt's husband, William McInnes in drag. Another important character is Margaret, the one-time junkie pop singer, who essays a change as a priest, then surprises us all in the end. One hopes that this film reaches the rest of the world uncut. There is some strong language, but it belongs. Watt cleverly inserts the odd 'plant'. We wait in vain for the realization - Watt is an animator after all. And, yes, the audience came out smiling.

Not many laughs from the audience at tonight's screening in Sydney. I started losing interest in this film around the time it got to 'May'.This is a mildly amusing comic drama about an average Aussie family and their year from hell. I found the film neither funny nor particularly moving. You'd think it would be considering it is about a woman battling back from an aneurysm and having huge doubts about her faith, relationship etc.The script just isn't polished enough and secondary characters (the blokey brother in law and his trophy wife etc) were like cardboard cutouts.The photography is unimaginative and the film seems dated, like it was made for television ten years ago.Disappointing. Like many Aussie films, this one needed a few more drafts done before it was given the green light.

I really enjoyed this movie, although I felt it suffered a little from a common blight of Australian Cinema whereby directors and writers seemingly want to make a movie all things to all people. It was initially touted to me as a comedy but I think it would be better put into the lighthearted drama category. When some catastrophic events occurred within the first 10 minutes I wondered what I'd let myself in for. Many parts of it struck a chord with me, particularly the couple fighting to keep intimacy under the monotony and strain of everyday life. Matt Day gives a stunning performance as the husband with a lot of his plate fighting temptation. I found the little pseudo cliché touches to be masterful, the lottery ticket, the guy at the movies - magic. Well worth a look, but take your tissues ;)