User reviews

I saw this movie at the recent Garden State Film Festival and checked on it's status here. I'm amazed at it's low ranking. It was an intelligent, well scripted, strongly acted drama with a point of view, presented by a talented director with a strong visual eye. Okay, I can imagine that it's content might not sit well with many mainstream cinema-goers but that's no reason to rate it low. It's a movie made by a woman on women's issues with (presumably) women in mind as its target audience. It will make you think and perfectly recaptures an early nineties time and place. If you like your cinema to be more than eye candy then it deserves a viewing and you'll be pleasantly surprised. I'm not going to include a vote here because I got to know the director but I'd definitely recommend it. Give it a chance.

It is unfortunate that this indie-art house film has struggled with two lackluster titles ("Remembering Sex" and "Getting Off") that do not convey the essence of the film. Much more than a film about sex, the film provides an indelible portrait of American hedonism in the 1990s. This film resonated with honesty in the character portrayals, and one senses that the scenes and dialogue were drawn directly from personal experience.

Written and directed by Julie Lynch, the film includes some outstanding footage of New York City. Above all, it captures with great urgency many of the personal pressures and torments of the modern age as seen through the lens of its main character Josie.

Christine Harnos delivers a riveting performance as Josie, a talented artist struggling with demons that result in chronic alcoholism and sexual addiction. The film never fully addresses how Josie might combat and resolve her inner torment. Her patience and her skills as a social worker involved with children were her strengths. Her supportive co-worker Michael (David Marshall Grant) recognizes those strengths. The film could have suggested a way for Josie to acknowledge her good qualities and work through her problems.

The film is worth watching for the performance of Harnos and for a window into the malaise of the 1990s, a prosperous yet troubled decade. Perhaps a third attempt at a decent title might help in doing justice to this modest yet memorable film.

This movie was wonderful. It kept me enthralled from beginning to end, and is a must see for anyone who has ever struggled with a past where choices have been made that in hindsight have not always been for the best. I also thought the acting was honest, and the director did a good job handling the subject matter of AIDS without becoming preachy or political. And although the aspect of sex addiction could have been exploited in a titillating way, it wasn't. I felt I was watching a movie about real people dealing with hard truths. So save your ten fifty (New York prices) for the myriad of stinkers showing at your local Cineplex and see this one instead.