SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE

UK, 2006, 90 minutes, Colour.
Eileen Atkins, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hardy, Douglas Hodge, Adrian Lester, Andrew Lincoln, Ewan Mc Gregor, Gina Mc Kee, Sophie Okonedo, Stephen Sampson, Nicholas Sidi, Mark Strong, Catherine Tate, Polly Walker, Benjamin Whitrow.
Directed by Ed Blum.

The tantalising title is more than a touch misleading. A more appropriate title might have been ‘Conversations of a Sexual Nature’.

This is mainly a talk piece, set on a warm and sunny Wednesday afternoon on London’s Hampstead Heath. The director, Ed Blum, had an idea for a film exploring different aspects of sexuality. His friend, Aschlin Ditta, writes comedy for television and came up with several scenarios. And they were lucky to get such a talented British cast, most of whom were able to work for two or three days to complete their roles.

The conversations are always interesting, some expected, others not anticipated. A middle-aged couple have an argument about whether he was ogling a young Frenchwoman who is reading Camus’ The Outsider (and he makes a mess of trying to explain that he was merely looking at her book and botches what it was about). In the meantime a man and woman in their seventies sit on a garden seat to look at the view, exchange memories and find they have a lot more in common than they would have expected. Eileen Atkins and Benjamin Whitrow make this meeting credible.

A young man ditches his rather demanding pregnant girlfriend (Sophie Okenedo) who then is approached by a gormless young make (Tom Hardy) on the make and leaves him stranded. He has even less luck when he comes across the French girl later.

A couple in their early forties (Hugh Bonneville and Gina Mc Kee) meeting for a blind date picnic discuss the desire for children and the effect of this kind of date. A friendly couple (Adrian Lester and Catherine Tate) meet for an outing with their daughter and we discover that they are divorcing and listen to why. A businessman (Mark Strong) pays a woman (Polly Walker) to meet him and plans a trip to the West Indies. Two men (Ewan Mc Gregor and Douglas Hodge) read in the sun in the Men Only section of the heath and discuss the possibility for a gay couple to adopt.

The film runs for only 90 minutes, so there is not a great deal of time to explore all these short stories. The strength of the writing enables us to get a feel for the issues and their repercussions and the performances are so good that they help us to feel for the characters.

1. The title of the film? Expectations? Better title: Conversations of a Sexual Nature? The broad understanding of sexual?

2. The Hampstead Heath locations? The various parts of the park, the paths, the chairs, the lookouts, the buildings? The trees and shrubs? The men-only section? The sunny day, the vistas of the city of London? People’s comments on the value of Hampstead Heath? The musical score?

3. The structure of the film: the introduction to particular characters, the intermingling of the various couples, the cross-cutting of the plot? People passing each other as they would in real life? How effective the pattern of a cinema quilt of different characters and interactions?

4. Molly and her husband? Lying in the park, sunbaking? The discussion about their relationship? The discussion of the magazines they were reading and sexual issues, orgasms? The husband and his looking at the young French girl, her reading, The Outsider by Camus? His wife catching him, his denials, rationalisations about Camus, pretending to know the story? Her going over to the girl, the discussion about the novel and its value? His being shamed? Her walking off, his desperate following – after talking to the girl, accepting her offer to have a closer look? Their being scene exiting the heath? The later scene with the young girl, her reading, Noel and his accosting her and her sending him off?

5. Iris and Jerry, in their seventies, coming to the heath, Iris every Wednesday, Jerry every Thursday? The choice of the seat? The small talk? Looking at London? Each gradually revealing their story? The realisation that each was the young person that they had met fifty years earlier, met twice? Both engaged at the time? Their going for a walk, talking about their lives, realisation of the happiness of their lives? Their decision to walk to the top of the hill? A calm picture of older people, reflecting on the meaning of their lives? A future for them?

6. Brian and Billy, the men’s-only area, the gay men and the swimming, the sunbaking, eyeing off each other? Brian and his reading, Billy and his roving eye, their fifteen years together? Discussions about relationships, one-night stands? Billy and his talk about adoption, the depth of the discussion about adoption, parenting, same-sex parenting? Billy and his desire to have a child? Brian and his hesitation? Billy going off at the end with the swimmer?

7. Julia and Gerry, the blind date, meeting, awkwardness, conversations, her first time with a date, his having had many? In their early forties? The reflection on their lives, their hopes, Julia wanting to have children? Gerry and his hesitation? Julia and her noticing Louis with his mobile phone? Gerry taking this badly and walking off in a huff? Julia and her puzzle? Her future?

8. Anna and Ludo, Anna and her pregnancy, Ludo and his making a decision, leaving her? Her being amazed? Noel and his approach? His age, wandering in the park, looking for some kind of liaison? Anna and her reactions to him, silent, their talking, sitting down, her wanting him to go off? His persistence? Her decision to lead him on, against the tree, his pants down, her going off and his being stranded? His later meeting the French girl and her telling him to go?

9. Sarah and Pete, Pete and his wanting to go to the toilet, in the men’s area and running away, meeting Sarah, seemingly chance encounter, their talking, the fact that they recognised each other, that they had been married, their love, their love for their daughter, her coming to join them? The emergence that they were divorcing, that they loved each other but could not live with each other, their love for their child? Wandering in the park, his attempts to go to the toilet, final success? Ice creams for their daughter? Their conversation and reflection on what it was that made them get married, their love, their incompatibility, his having the day with his daughter?

10. Louis, alone, the businessman, mobile phone, meeting with Esther, their walking, the company? Her talking about her family and not knowing what she did? His promise of a trip to the West Indies? Their compatibility? The emergence that she was a callgirl, his paying her? His wandering alone in the park?

11. The overall effect of these stories, the way that they were intertwined? The various aspects of sexuality and relationships that they touched on? Insight – through conversation? The beauty of the location, London, a summer’s afternoon?