MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX

Australia, 2009, 90 minutes, Colour.
Sascha Horler, Matt Day, Maude Davey.
Directed by Sarah Watt.

The title. A touch of light irony.

Anyone expecting a sex romp will be very disappointed because this is a suburban drama, that of a very ordinary, middle-class family, presented with a humorous style for some serious themes. It was written and directed by Australian Film Institute winner, Sarah Watt (Look Both Ways, 2005).

The year begins in August and continues with monthly episodes, each signalled by a caption evocative of sexual relationships with familiar jargon. We glimpse Natalie and Ross (Sascha Horler and Matt Day) and their children. A crisis occurs when Natalie collapses and undergoes brain surgery.

So, the film is really a sketchy tracing of what happens to a young mother coping with illness, recuperation, mood swings, physical discomfort in appearance and with pain, tension with her devoted husband, the sometimes awkward attentions of friends, questions of God and religious belief. Sacha Horler is completely persuasive as Natalie.

Matt Day shows an earnestness and concern as Ross, standing by his wife and her bedside, upset at her erratic behaviour, worrying whether his job is on the line, tempted to have a roving eye, but loving and faithful.

There is a scene-stealing turn by Maude Davey as Margaret, a former rock singer who has been ordained a priest – which means that the religious issues are raised, the priest relying on rather literal understandings of biblical texts and rather generic, well-meaning advice – but interesting to watch them like this in an Australian film.

Episodic and sketchy but down-to-earth humane.

1.The title, expectations? The actual events, characters and issues?

2.The tone, humour, casual, serious?

3.The structure with the beginning in August, the succeeding months, the captions, the jargon, sex and relationships? Illness, jobs, children, Christmas, recovery?

4.The effect of the glimpses, each episode, the cutting at the end, the transition quickly to the next month, the transition with emotions, the differences in emotions, audience supplying what went on in between? Overcoming differences and difficulties?

5.The introduction to the husband and wife, to the family, the children and the bedroom? Age, experience, work? The attention to detail? The love?

6.The focus on the mother, her age, appearance, her life, her hair, the comments of the hairdresser? Her collapse? Hospital, the indication of the surgery, the brain, the demonstrations? Her illness, the result of the surgery, the stitches, her hair and scalp? Moving towards recovery? In hospital, her husband, the children, friends? Going home? The visit of friends, all the suggestions, the choir, her actually going to the choir, the choir practices? Chatting with friends? The months and the different moods? The children, the build-up to Christmas, the gifts, shopping, the decision to go to church, prayer, listening to the sermon? Befriending the priest? The death of the pet and inviting the priest for the funeral? Her relationship with her husband, the sexual relationship? Her decision to get a job, answering the phone? The tensions? The visits to the doctor? The church, her friend? The karaoke, going out, the drinks, the priest’s date not turning up? Her finding the record unopened and smashing it (and her husband finding it and putting it on)? The growing tensions throughout the year, the visit to the doctor? Healthy again, recovery?

7.The focus on the husband, his age, slight build, the contrast with his wife, his relationship, the kids, the scenes at home, working with the kids, playing, outings? Taking them to the hospital? His job, the radio, friends, the personnel, his concern about his job? Spending time at the hospital? Managing the kids? The threat of job loss? The discussions, the beer? The colleagues, the girl – the touch of flirtation? Christmas, the gifts, his being late home, not wanting to go to church, his comments about God and belief? His reaction to the funeral for the pet? Recognising Margaret, his being a fan of hers in the past? His returning to his job, the advice that he should go out on his own? His upsets, fears, joy at the good news of the recovery?

8.The portrait of the children, in themselves, with their mother, at home, with their father, the hospital? Playing? Christmas, the gifts, going to church? The rituals? The months passing, their response to their mother and her recovery?

9.The friends, chatting, the faux pas about her hair, the singing in the choir?

10.The priest, her friendship, Christmas, her preaching, the literal interpretations of the Bible, her advice, prosaic, the touch of the cliché? Well-meaning and earnest? Burying the pet? The husband discovering who she was, her past, singing? The date, the wife going with her, the date not turning up, the karaoke and the singing, the drinking? The wife’s return home, putting out the gifts for Christmas?

11.The experience of illness and how it was communicated in the film?

12.The experience of marriage and the family?

13.Middle class, ordinary suburbia – humorous and serious?