Steve Rose 

Concussion review – intelligent drama about sexuality and self-deception

Stacie Passon's tale of a bored, wealthy, gay woman in New York who sets herself up as a high-class sex worker is not entirely plausible, but it's well made in many respects, writes Steve Rose
  
  

Concussion film still
An easy naturalism … Concussion. Photograph: PR

A refreshing indie antidote to mainstream depictions of lesbians, which neither implies that they really fancy men underneath it all (as in The Kids Are Alright), nor depicts lesbian sex in a way that makes male viewers feel like grubby voyeurs (Blue Is the Warmest Colour). Instead, it uses sexuality as a way into the self-deceptions and self-absorptions of moneyed Americans. It could almost be a remake of Buñuel's Belle De Jour. Robin Weigert (best known as Deadwood's Calamity Jane) plays a fortysomething mother whose female partner is a Manhattan workaholic. Channelling her sexual frustration into fitness workouts and interior decoration isn't enough, so (after receiving a blow to the head) Abby establishes herself as a high-class sex worker, catering to women looking for "a more mature situation". That includes wealthy hetero housewives, one of whom is her neighbour. It's not entirely plausible, to be honest, but there's an easy naturalism to the drama and a sharp intelligence behind the camera.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*