The Center of the World (2001)

It is easy enough I suppose to be cynical of a movie like The Center of the World, a movie about gratuitous sex with no plot to go along, but it would be the wrong way to approach this particular example. Film buffs could easily appreciate the movie as a case of style over substance. Its effectiveness is in its subtlety, never going over the top. What little plot there is may seem contrived, but in fact it has some credibility. I can believe that a story like this could happen in reality, just seldomly. The end result is a surprisingly mature feature, which is definitely not for a shallow minded viewerPorter invites his new friend Florence (a stripper) to come to Vegas with him for short vacation where they can have a few nights of uninterrupted sex. She agrees, but asks him to play by her rules: No sweet talk, no kissing, and no penetration (or something like that). Slowly she starts to fall for him, making it difficult to keep the trip strictly professional.There is never really much of a story to begin with, but this is part of what makes the film feel more natural I suppose. It sort of plays out a bit like Before Sunset, only with nudity in the place of dialogue. The Center of the World, though very mannered and slow, does make some progress, but the film runs out of steam in the last twenty minutes. Actually, 'steam' may be the wrong way to put it. The film moves more like a gondola than a steamer. Having seen his Oscar winning photography for Avatar, cinematographer Mauro Fiore's work on The Centre of the World could not seem more different. This is a striped down, desaturated, deliberately crude and grainy looking production where flash backs are low contrast black and white, and the picture quality increases in grain or unnatural colours when the mood swings. Well, it works, I'll say that much. I haven't seen Las Vegas portrayed this way since the Godfather.Molly Parker maintains a very good screen presence, and in fact she is not simply a body like Sharon Stone in Basic Instict, or Holly Hunter in Crash (David's Cronenbergs film, not the Paul Haggis movie). Florence is definitely a human being, both inside and out. Even the fact that her body is covered in freckles feels realistic. Pretty girls in erotic movies, are almost always spot feel it seems.The ending has nothing in the way of a payoff, but it is not uninteresting. It is one of those scenes which makes you uncertain of whether it is real or a state of mind. I'll leave you to see the film and decide for yourself.

It's hard to find a truly erotic movie made in America. Most mainstream films have little sex/no nudity and a whole lot of violence. And what constitutes "erotic art" in films is made up horribly contrived, unbelievable Cinemax/Playboy movies. That lack any real heat and are amazingly unsexy and boring. So a film like "Center of the World" is a rare gem. It actually is sensual, erotic and the participants in the sex scenes seem comfortable and actually engaged in what they are doing. The scenes do not come off as awkward or simulated. Which is the challenge for any film director. To make the audience believe what they are seeing is real. What's special here is that a great actress who one would actually like to see do nudity/sexual material, has the lead female role. There's no body doubles here and Molly seems really comfortable with the nudity and explicit sex scenes. She looks absolutely gorgeous throughout the movie. And is not the traditional, cookie butter starlet that is churned out in a 1,001 Cinemax skin flicks. Hollywood should make more of these films. Unfortunately, I think during this age of "sexual repression" in the arts, our natural human sexual needs will continue to be hidden from view on both the big and small screens.

Gee whiz, didn't realize I was setting out to watch a soft core porn movie! Could have been a very interesting story. Unfortunately, the main characters were devoid of emotional depth and lacked any interpersonal chemistry. In the end the story had nothing to do with love or even attraction, but just the power (and violence) that some people exert over each other. Thought the ending was perfect given the superficiality of the characters. Gave this 2 out of 10.

...Wayne Wang's notorious, controversial and explicit "CENTER OF THE WORLD" (Artisan, $.. is a much more polished piece of work than "Romance." It also explores the bleak terrain of emotional isolation. This time the protagonist is a rich internet geek (Peter Sarsgaard) who literally contracts with a rock and roll drummer and part-time stripper (Molly (Parker) for a sexual get-away in Las Vegas. The phoniness of Vegas and the impersonal internet are more than metaphors for what amounts to virtual sex in real life. The basic elements are familiar in countless other love stories, but here the physicality of the two main characters dominates everything. In many ways we root for them to break out of their protective shells and actually connect with the hearts.Sometimes the walls we build to keep out the bad cuts us off from life itself. This film, shot on high definition video, evokes a more personal and immediate response and is much more effective on DVD than it is projected in a theater. Longing for intimacy but in the grip of a fear of letting go leaves the main characters with only the option of exploring physical sensations as soulless.