For some filmmakers—Bernardo Bertolucci, Lina Wertmüller, Dušan Makavejev—sex and politics are inextricably linked. The ways their characters engage with each other sexually mirrors how they engage in the body politic, with individual sexual liberation representing the first step in larger social change. Canadian writer-director Bruce LaBruce (No Skin Off My Ass, The Raspberry Reich) is one such filmmaker. For three decades he’s made movies that combine explicit sex with radical political rhetoric, arguing that opposition to repressive social structures goes hand in hand with breaking sexual taboos. This argument is central to LaBruce’s 2017 feature The Misandrists, screening this week at Facets Cinematheque; in fact several characters state it outright. The film’s didacticism can be heavy-handed, but as usual LaBruce leavens it with humor and eroticism.
Later on, some of the women suspect there’s an undercover cop in their ranks, and many of them succumb to paranoia. LaBruce also reveals that Isolde, despite identifying as a woman, has a penis but hasn’t told her comrades. (According to the FLA’s rules, a penis is grounds for expulsion.) These developments keep the plot moving in spite of the frequent rhetorical breaks; one wants to know whether the group will overcome the secrets and suspicions that threaten their unity. However compelling this may be, LaBruce maintains such a campy tone that the narrative turns never assume much emotional weight. That’s too bad, because LaBruce has some serious ideas along with his comic conceits. In the film’s most poignant moment, one recruit recounts the backgrounds of the other major characters, several of whom have been sexually abused by men. The scene serves as a reminder of how genuinely awful patriarchal culture can be and engenders sympathy for anyone who wants to undermine it. v
Directed by Bruce LaBruce. 91 min.
