|
The marriage of spouses Lilly
Taylor, famous TV star in England, and Andrew Becker, a struggling novelist, is falling apart.
When they attend the launch party of Lilly's stepbrother, Jason, the wife looses no time to mistreat her husband and sleep with the next interested gentleman. Andrew tries to dismiss his frustration with alcohol and brings home a passed out Lilly while himself falling asleep while driving. They meet an accident which leaves Lilly half paralyzed. Six months after, Lilly is ever more furious and difficult and wastes no opportunity to remind her husband of his fault that ruined her and her career. However, doctors find Lilly's paralysis to be psychosomatic and suggest alternative treatment. Jason recommends the ancient massage therapy in India and convinces the two to take the next flight. In India, Lilly finds herself still adored and slowly recovering. Andrew, however, continues to bask in humiliation and frustration until he meets a married local Indian cultural dancer, Sara Vargas. They fall for each other and soon have an affair. However, when Andrew returns to their hotel, he finds out his wife is murdered and damped in the seas and he the prime suspect.
The title is actually a come on for viewers and has nothing to do with the original Kama Sutra
series, save for a few sex scenes.
The story is straightforwardly simple and well narrated which makes the movie actually enjoyable as a mystery. Although there are quite a number of give-aways to make the next scene predictable but can be merited for its seamless transitions. The cinematography failed to capture the beauty and exoticness of India as the script suggests several times. Technically, the movie is average and sometimes ranging on amateurish but it pulls off well with a well polished plot development. Save for the overly dramatic music and stagy acting which makes the film sound like a radio drama, the movie can pass off for a low-budget Hollywood film or a sophisticated student production.
Except for some pumping scenes and nudity, the film can be classified as a drama-mystery.
It is actually decent and plot driven. What is disturbing however is how adultery and infidelity are dismissed as "natural" occurrences. The spouses have fallen out of love with each other and hence have the ticket to sleep with other people without guilt, shame while the partner willingly and silently accepts such actions. Given that divorce is acceptable in the English culture, at the very least, they should have properly (legally and morally) ended their relationship first. Moreover, for the Filipino Catholic culture, infidelity and adultery are not acceptable for whatever reason. The sacredness and indissolubility of marriage should foremostly be defended. Marriage is based on love but goes beyond the physical and emotional connection because this act already becomes a spiritual and social commitment. Hence, respect, trust and sacrifice, forgiveness is expected from spouses which the protagonists of the film failed to show.
(Date Reviewed: 07 December 2006)
|
