By David Holmberg
Daily Bruin Staff
If “Center of the World” demonstrates anything, it
is that there should be more NC-17 rated movies. This is not just
because nudity and sex add flair to otherwise routine films, but
because these movies can tackle far more intense and radical
subject matter.
Wayne Wang, who also directed “The Joy Luck Club,”
centers his newest film in the ever popular city of Las Vegas.
Although the film’s current action all takes place in Sin
City, black and white flashbacks skip back in time to reveal how it
all got started. In a film such as this, less is more, and the plot
is about as complicated as the clothing on a stripper; that is,
just enough to make it interesting.
Richard, played flawlessly by Peter Sarsgaard, is a computer
geek who, as a sign of the times, has struck it rich and is worth
millions of dollars. Sitting in front of a computer all day,
however, certainly has its drawbacks, most notably the lack of any
female companionship. So, running contrary to the Beatles song, he
sets out to buy himself some love.
But for reasons that only a sexually repressed computer nerd
could understand, he does not make the logical choice of a
prostitute. Instead, he meets a stripper/drummer at a coffee shop,
and after seeing her perform an impressively erotic dance, he
offers to pay $10,000 for her to accompany him to Vegas for a
three-day “vacation.” The stripper, Florence, is played
by the uncharacteristically beautiful Molly Parker, who balances
sexuality and commonness with precision.
There are rules, though, for their liaison, rules established by
Florence. There will be no kissing on the lips, no feelings, all
encounters will take place between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., and no
penetration. It would seem that he isn’t getting that much
for his $10,000, but it shows how desperate poor, repressed Richard
really is.
As the film progresses, each of these rules is inevitably and
unfortunately broken. Inevitable, because it is clear from the
outset that Richard cares for Florence, and unfortunate because it
is also obvious that this is not “Pretty Woman.”
Richard is not Richard Gere, and there will be no sweeping off the
feet this time. For a while there seems to be the possibility of a
Hollywood cliché taking over the latter half of the film, but
thankfully the cold slap of reality comes smacking down, leaving no
room for wishful thinking.
The film, while resting on a daintily scant plot, relies on the
characters to complete the outfit. Together, the pair create a
painfully accurate portrayal of the current condition of male and
female relationships in a technological world.
Richard has more interaction with computers than humans, and it
is no question this has taken its toll. While basically a nice and
well-meaning guy, video games and computers have led him to lose
the ability to cope in reality. In a larger sense, the film attacks
the state of today’s now-adult men who have spent their young
lives hacking and computing. While they make a lot of money, their
basic primal human needs have been ignored, and now it may be too
late.
On the opposite side is Florence, who relies on the real-world
interactions between men and women to exist. Strippers are nothing
without an audience, and computers are creating a never ending
supply of lust-driven men. Sexuality is her trade, but she also
attempts to deny this, even to herself.
Makeup hides her from everyone, herself included, and in this
sense she is more pathetic than Richard, who at least acknowledges
his state. To be a sexual object is her job, and not who she is,
although she is effective at being Richard’s object of
desire.
As far as NC-17 films go, “Center of the World” has
surprisingly little nudity. Many of the problematic issues arise
from sexually laced dialogue, which is itself a contrast to a
society of showing, rather than telling. The fact that it deals
with the socially taboo topic of sex earned it an otherwise
unwarranted rating. It is very clear that this movie is in no way
pornographic, as it does not even celebrate or glorify sex.
Quite the opposite occurs, as the mystery is slowly tossed aside
and only the gritty reality of today’s sexually repressed
society is left exposed. Richard tries to be the man he thinks
Florence wants, but he can never be him, presumably because she
does not even want that perfect man. And as the rejection builds,
so does his anger and his dejection, leading to an utterly dismal
and sickening encounter in which he hurts the woman he thought he
loved.
In the end, the Beatles are proved right. Loneliness returns to
the pathetic Richard, who is every young male raised on computers
and pornography, and Florence does not fare much better. Yet what
lingers is the sense that perhaps someday sex will no longer be
demonized and pressed into the dark corners of the mind, only to be
released in anger, instead of love and passion, as this film so
masterfully demonstrates.
FILM: “Center of the World” is now
playing at the Nuwilshire located at 1314 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa
Monica. For show times call (310) 394-8099.