Let's talk about sex.
I had TWO WHOLE nights off this week! YAY! They gave me the opportunity to watch Kinsey, a movie that I had TiVoed a loooong time ago, but one that I'd never found the time to see.
I knew a little bit about Kinsey beforehand. I took a course on human love and sexuality in college (which gave my college friends no end of hilarity. Apparently, my chaste reputation preceded me. But, hey, it fit in my schedule AND fulfilled a core requirement. What's a girl to do?!), and we talked quite a bit about his work as part of that curriculum. I thought a dramatization of this life and work would be fascinating.
Kinsey was a biologist who broke from studying gall wasps in the 1940s to focus on human sexuality. He'd noticed that there was no actual scientific research on the subject, and he was appalled at the misinformation (and moral stranglehold) on the subject in society. He conducted thousands of face-to-face interviews with subjects about their sex histories, and he published two volumes about sexual behavior (male and female). The Kinsey Institute (which studies sex, gender, and reproduction) still operates today at Indiana University.
I freely acknowledge that the film, at times, can be difficult to watch. Kinsey definitely contains nudity and sensitive subject matter. However, the grounding force of it all became Liam Neeson, in an inspired turn as the troubled scientist. He becomes the mouthpiece for many of Kinsey's actual complaints - how the subject of sex was closeted in American society, how difficult it was to find funding for sex research because of moral overtones, how we as a society could not begin to discuss sex with any certainty because we hadn't studied it, etc. Neeson played Kinsey with such sensitivity, such professionalism; he was the heart of the film.
I also appreciated how the film dealt with the personal issues/problems of the various characters, including Kinsey, his wife, and the members of his research staff. It illustrated how difficult it probably was for all of them to study sex, think about sex, talk about sex all the time without it affecting them in adverse ways. It showed how difficult it was for them to separate the sex act from the idea/feeling of love. (There was a wonderful premise introduced early in the film about how Kinsey decided that love couldn't be studied because it was impossible to measure. So Kinsey studied sex, the closest thing to love that he could study. I like that sentiment, for some reason.)
Anyway, if you are interested in Kinsey, his life, and his work, I think this film is a fairly accurate treatment of the man. Be prepared for nudity and adult issues, but most of all, be prepared to ask yourself questions and re-examine what you think about sex, love, and society.
I knew a little bit about Kinsey beforehand. I took a course on human love and sexuality in college (which gave my college friends no end of hilarity. Apparently, my chaste reputation preceded me. But, hey, it fit in my schedule AND fulfilled a core requirement. What's a girl to do?!), and we talked quite a bit about his work as part of that curriculum. I thought a dramatization of this life and work would be fascinating.
Kinsey was a biologist who broke from studying gall wasps in the 1940s to focus on human sexuality. He'd noticed that there was no actual scientific research on the subject, and he was appalled at the misinformation (and moral stranglehold) on the subject in society. He conducted thousands of face-to-face interviews with subjects about their sex histories, and he published two volumes about sexual behavior (male and female). The Kinsey Institute (which studies sex, gender, and reproduction) still operates today at Indiana University.
I freely acknowledge that the film, at times, can be difficult to watch. Kinsey definitely contains nudity and sensitive subject matter. However, the grounding force of it all became Liam Neeson, in an inspired turn as the troubled scientist. He becomes the mouthpiece for many of Kinsey's actual complaints - how the subject of sex was closeted in American society, how difficult it was to find funding for sex research because of moral overtones, how we as a society could not begin to discuss sex with any certainty because we hadn't studied it, etc. Neeson played Kinsey with such sensitivity, such professionalism; he was the heart of the film.
I also appreciated how the film dealt with the personal issues/problems of the various characters, including Kinsey, his wife, and the members of his research staff. It illustrated how difficult it probably was for all of them to study sex, think about sex, talk about sex all the time without it affecting them in adverse ways. It showed how difficult it was for them to separate the sex act from the idea/feeling of love. (There was a wonderful premise introduced early in the film about how Kinsey decided that love couldn't be studied because it was impossible to measure. So Kinsey studied sex, the closest thing to love that he could study. I like that sentiment, for some reason.)
Anyway, if you are interested in Kinsey, his life, and his work, I think this film is a fairly accurate treatment of the man. Be prepared for nudity and adult issues, but most of all, be prepared to ask yourself questions and re-examine what you think about sex, love, and society.
Comments
BUT each to his own. ;-)
NB