Women looking for love — and finding themselves — is the theme of several features and shorts out on DVD. Both the female artist and the model in “Red Is the Color of” test the true nature of their sexual feelings, while many of the women in the shorts program “She Likes Girls 3” become empowered by their sexuality.
“Red Is the Color of” is a film about a love triangle that forms between two married painters and one’s comely female model. Written and directed by Anne Norda in a pleasingly minimalist style, the story centers on Mary (Irina Björklund), an artist who uses blood in her work. She has passionate fans, and is tormented by/paranoid about the thought of her husband David (Peter Franzén) having an affair. It seems his young, blond model Julie (Eliza Pryor Nagel) just happened to leave her sexy red panties under the couple’s bed.
As this absorbing low-budget film unfolds, a series of events strain Mary and David’s marriage and force Mary to question who she is and what she wants. One issue Mary raises is her desire to have a baby. When she brings home an electronic toy for David, he must practice caring for a child. David humors Mary’s wishes even if they never discuss turning this baby game into a reality.
Likewise, David humors Julie’s desires when she teases him with an erotic story about a red hat she is asked to wear while posing. It is clear that Julie has designs on David; however, when he fails to respond to her flirtations, she turns her attention to seducing Mary.
But Mary is unaware of Julie’s intentions and things grow increasingly more intimate between these sudden friends. Soon, Julie is probing Mary for personal information about her sex life and praising Mary’s “compelling sexual aura.” Viewers will hope the artist would see the big picture, but Mary’s naïveté is such that she also mistakes a devotee of her work for an interviewer.
“Red Is the Color of” slowly — perhaps too slowly — builds the dramatic tension with the promise of something happening. Alas, despite the film’s ability to hold viewers’ attention, Norda never quite brings the simmering story to a boil. Too much of the plotting is underdeveloped. A scene of Julie suggesting a strip version of Scrabble with the couple goes nowhere, ending abruptly and without consequence. In addition, a storyline involving a stranger named Fran (Carey DiPietro) being mentored by Mary should have more impact than it does.
The dramatic flaws are not the fault of the leads. Björklund makes Mary’s insecurities believable: Her most revealing scene may be one in which she is alone and dancing for pleasure. Franzén is sexy and appropriately stoic as David, wisely letting his character’s true feelings remain masked until the final reel. Unfortunately, Nagel’s Julie is the weakest link in the cast because she never quite makes her enigmatic character — a self-described “sensualist” — attractive.
“Red Is the Color of” is more artful than pretentious, but viewers are likely to be unsatisfied by the film’s broad strokes.
“She Likes Girls 3” is the latest collection in the ongoing series of lesbian short films. If the anthology lacks a consistent theme, it still offers a fine assortment of comedy, romance, drama and even suspense.
The best short in the collection is the last, “The Insomniacs,” a warm and modest tale about Bell (Skyler Cooper), who finds a companion attending a 3 a.m. meeting for local insomniacs. The gentle nature of the lonely characters makes this short especially winning.
“Late,” directed by Guinevere Turner, may be the DVD’s best-directed entry. As a series of answering-machine messages recounts the affairs of a young woman, the camera slowly reveals the truth about her.
Turner co-wrote the charming short “Happy Birthday,” in which two couples grapple with making changes in their relationships. Whereas Abigail (Lisa Branch) wants to top her butch girlfriend Jack (Deak Evgenikos), Hannah (Julie Goldman) wants to have a baby and her girlfriend Madeleine (Yolanda Ross) is reluctant. As the characters struggle with pleasing their partners, this agreeable comedy reaches a satisfying climax.
Goldman also appears in “Commitment Ceremony,” a fun and funny music video directed by Erin Greenwell that won’t likely play on MTV. When Goldman proposes to her girlfriend, she belts out a witty tune that explains the intricacies and terminology of same-sex unions.
Another highlight of “She Likes Girls 3” is “Long Ago,” a gratifying tale about getting over an ex. Maddie (Stef Willen) seems unable to cut the rat-tail she grew with her girlfriend — even though it is laughed at by others, and described by her friends as “the tackiest lesbian accessory ever.” As she tries to let go of her feelings, she finds it’s not as easy as simply cutting her hair.
Two shorts are ambitious but fall short of their goals. “In Twilight’s Shadow” is stylish but feels like a trailer for a feature film. The editing is rapid-fire and the acting mostly lame. One gets the sense of coming into the middle of a story and having to pick up the narrative about bikers, vampires and punks. The money was obviously spent on the nifty supernatural special effects and not the script.
Likewise, “Congratulations Daisy Graham,” about an older woman who looks back at her life with her lover as death hovers around her, is well-meaning but, despite telling details about its characters, doesn’t generate enough feeling for them.
Rounding out the collection is “Dandelion Fall,” a dreamy romance about a young musician (Breeda Wool) having a clandestine affair with a real-estate agent (Alexis Clemente). This sexy short will likely please diehard romantics, as will most of the entries in “She Likes Girls 3.”