Swinging and Pimping

A new way to keep up with the Joneses
film reviews by Emma Wunsch

The Lifestyle
American Pimp

The Tribute to American Kink series runs May 12-25 with multiple daily screenings of the films at the Grand Illusion which is located at 1403 NE 50th St. Call 206-523-3935 for showtimes.

Imagine your typical suburban summer block-party bar-becue.... Mom's making potato salad, Dad's firing up the grill and they're making sure that there are plenty of mattresses in the den along with hot XXX rated videos playing in the background to get the neighbors in the mood for some sexy, swinging, suburban group sex. Jim and Sherry, who could really be my parents/your parents/our neighbors, give us some hints as they get ready to host this year's Red, White and Blue party, "We put towels under our sheets that sop up anything that happens. It's sort of like Martha Stewart, tips for the swinging house party, really."

Until I saw David Schisgall's documentary The Lifestyle (U.S., 1999, 35 mm, 79, Good Machine) I didn't have many images of the swinging suburban lifestyle. Since viewing The Lifestyle, I can't seem to get them out of my head.

Schisgall has made an excellent film, carefully balancing what could have been an exploited subject with the stereotypical image of repressive Republican mom and pop suburbanites. What could have easily became an excuse for soft porn has been made into a powerful film that makes the viewer confront boundless personal stereotypes of those simultaneously leading conservative lives outside the bedroom, and having wild casual group sex when they're not teaching or playing golf or voting for Bush.

Through a two-year journey in and out of swingers' homes, parties and conventions, Schisgall handles other people's sexuality with such grace and non-judgment that while watching The Lifestyle, I kept hoping I wouldn't suddenly be confronted with my parents/ friend's parents/ elderly neighbors on screen. Because of Schisgall's talent the subjects very easily could have been any of the above.

In The Lifestyle, grandma isn't baking brownies anymore. She's covered in leather, shaking her hips and enjoying every moment of her sexual prowess. And although I cringe at the thought of my grandmother as leather diva, I also think why not? Schisgall's film forces the viewer to admit, no matter how creepy it would be to think of your own parents/grandparents engaging in this lifestyle, when adults consent to safe sexual activity with the Joneses (and Smiths and Browns) there's nothing wrong with it even after age 75.

The Lifestyle is the first in-depth account of the swinging subculture and it's interesting to view because Schisgall truly goes beyond naked bodies to bring out the humanity of his subjects who deal with the same issues (perhaps on a deeper level) that we all do. There are discussions about marriage, raising children, commitment and there are many parallels to our society at large. Karen says, " Two women together doesn't threaten anyone's manhood. Two men together definitely does. But that's a reflection of our culture."

Schisgall says he made the film hoping "to create a moving image I had never seen before: real sex between real bodies shot in an anthropological yet intimate style. I wanted to take a long hard look at the ultimate sexual fantasy-as it really is.... I wanted to explore a hidden subculture, this secret society that exists within our seemingly normal suburbs, often whispered about but never fully exposed."

The Lifestyle certainly doesn't whisper. It confronts challenges and ultimately provokes the viewer long after the final cut, moan or groan.

The Grand Illusion is screening The Lifestyle as part of its Tribute to American Kink, Part 1. In Tribute to American Kink, Part II, The Grand Illusion will screen American Pimp, a documentary by the Hughes Brothers, the twin directors who made the phenomenally successful Menace II Society. American Pimp was inspired by the brothers' fascination with the pimp figure specifically in the context the iconic 1970's black urban pimp featured in Blaxpoitation films such as Shaft and Superfly. Shocking, funny and equally disturbing, American Pimp is the Hughes Brothers' journey into the social world of the American Pimp. Ranging from age 20 to 70 with names like Charm, Fillmore Slim, Bishop Don Magic Juan, the pimps interviewed in the film are charming, candid and cordial. They show off their clothes, cars, women and bank accounts.

But digging deeper than these pimps' pockets, the Hughes Brothers delve into this universe where everything is played with different rules. The brothers bring us into the "track" (zone of prostitution) where all the "bitches", "hos" and "johns" mingle with lust and hustle.

In American Pimp, the Hughes Brothers bring the viewer into another American marketplace where needs, desires, and opportunities are for sale. Bargains are made at the expense, safety and sanity of the female workers. The pimps in the film prey on women whose physical/ emotional histories have made them vulnerable. Although the exchanges between the pimps and the prostitutes may casually pass as guidance, financial assistance and even friendship, one pimp remarks it's really bout "steal[ing]" a bitch's mind."

Although we live in a culture saturated with sex, both films in the Grand Illusion's American Kink tribute offer unique glimpses into often little known, little explored sex worlds. The Lifestyle and American Pimp will certainly confront viewers' stereotypes surrounding sexual subcultures in American culture.