Review of sex, lies, and videotape (1989) by Bryan W — 10 Jan 2011

This landmark independent film may have lost some of its steam due to more than a decade of sexual revolution, but its influence is apparent even in films today, and its story is still original enough to hold the interest of even the most jaded critic of contemporary dramatic films.

Each actor brings depth and understanding to their complex characterizations, more often letting glances and facial expressions do the work for them once we've come to get a basic understanding of them. Even more fascinating, they manage to keep things interesting when we're doing little more than learning about them, and in the end, its how each reacts to their own anger and fear that offers the most about their true nature.

It's difficult to imagine what a first time viewer might have felt about Soderbergh in first seeing this film without having had access to all his subsequent efforts; he's proven himself to be a filmmaker of such range with the rest of his work that this just seems to be another interesting, original effort. In terms of style, the film seems unique in a manner that makes it entirely matter-of-fact; it's as permanent and telling of its decade as is a video cassette, dated without being outdated and impacting as it gives way to bigger and better things. With this in mind, Soderbergh's style seems simple; no matter what he does, he does it well.