Taken by farce
In Bedrooms And Hallways, director ROSE TROCHE brings the British sex comedy into the 905.
Words: Miles Fielder
’Remember " Every Sperm Is Sacred" in Monty Python ’5 The Meaning Of Life?’ asks Rose Troche, director of Bedrooms And Hal/ways, the latest comedy about pretty young things in and out of love in London. Troche’s new film is a sex comedy, something the American director believes is handled better this side of the Atlantic — hence her
'I don't think I would have done the handcuff scene - having one man leaning over another pinching his nipples —
in the US.’ Rose Troche
aIIUSIOn to one of Brrtarn’s finest comic inStItutions.
’Humour In the US, partICLilarly around sexuality. tends to be a lot more sophomorrc like penis iokes,’ observes Troche. 'The British are supposed to be uptight and the
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OPENS APRIL 9
Americans are supposed to be liberated; that’s so untrue. The humOur Isn’t any less out there In Britain, It’s just more sophisticated.’
Troche made a big splash with her first feature, 60 Fish, which picked up an award at the Berlin Film Festival in
i 1994 and was Widely applauded for its
fresh, witty take on the love lives of a group of lesbians. Troche managed to avoid the label, ’lesbian film' because, although it focused exclusrvely on a lesbian community, the Issues It dealt with — monogamy, Independence and jealousy — were universal. The same rs true of Bedrooms And Hal/ways, which transcends both its roots In a very British tradition — farce - and labelling as a ’gay film’.
’On a very base level I JUSI made a movie about men, and With Go Fish I made a movre ab0ut a group of women,’ suggests Troche, ‘That's a surface level observation, because Go Fish was a very simple StOry which I used to carry certarn themes I thOught were potent whereas Bedrooms And Hal/ways is a much more intricate story With a fully developed script When the script for Bedrooms And Ha/Iways started out, there was a lot of talk about, well, I'm gay and that’s why I do X, Y and Z. And it's because you’re straight that you do X, Y and Z What Robert [Farrar, the scrrptwriterl and I did was try and cut as much of thrs material as we COuld. We have the incluslon of the
preview FILM
Sex and the city: Kevin McKidd in Bedrooms And Hallways
words ‘gay’ and ‘sti'aight' as little as possible In the ITIU'Jl'Z‘ '
Troche's liberated attitude towards sexuality permeates her films On Bedrooms Ant." H('i//=.'-,a;,i.s, it was aided and abetted by embracmg British humOur ‘There was a realisation that l drdn". feel responsible for either a British or an Arne-man audience,' she explains. 'I also thought that the British sense of humour gave me lrcense to do something ! possibly wouldn't have done in the US
'I don’t thrnk l would have done the
Audience Award London Film Festival
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handcuff scene — havrng one man leaning over another pinching his nipples In the US. And the anal sex conversation not to say that it wouldn’t have happened if I’d made Be irooms And Hal/ways in the US, but I would have been more Self- conscrous. I took my responsibility and threw It at Brrtain. I never thought twice about offending anyone or goIng way out there.’
Selected release from Fri 9 Apr. See review.
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KEVIN McKIDD HUGO WEAVING JAMES PUREFOY TOM HOILANDER CHRISTOPHER EULFORD JULIE GRAHAM CON O’NEILL PAUL HIGGINS JENNIFER EHLE HARRIET WALTER SIMON CALLOW
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