#42 - I Can't Think Straight

Well.....*applause*

I've got to say, I was completely floored by I Can't Think Straight. It was an amazing movie. By now I'm sure you've realized that I'm a huge chick flick fan, be it gay or straight. Not since Saving Face have I finished watching a movie feeling renewed in my belief in love and happiness. I want to tell the world of this great movie, and also tell everyone that I'm gay (which not everyone knows). Yes. It was just that good and inspiring. To give you another comparison, like most people, I too have the Devil Wears Prada on top of the chick flick movie list. After seeing this movie, however, I think we have a new contender.

It could be that I just finished seeing the movie, so I'm on that rush and haven't fully processed the film, but all I can say, is that it was... fantastic. It was funny, it was provocative, it was emotional, and it was bittersweet. It was all things that a chick flick should be, but only to the next level, but it also got you to think. There was a lot of political opinions thrown into the movie by the author/director, but honestly, it added to the realism of the film. It made the characters believable, and gave you a better insight into their depth. For the rest of this post, I will talk about the relationship between Tala/Leyla, then the two characters individually, and then their relationships with their parents.

Relationship:

The chemistry and relationship between Tala and Leyla was fantastic. Like I mentioned in my last post, it doesn't really matter how good the acting is, if the chemistry isn't there... well then it hurts the film. After seeing these two on the screen... well...I just wish they were together in real life! I loved every scene where they were together. They fed off of each other so well, and it made it so that you really believed what you are watching. In fact, I haven't seen a dynamic so well since Lost and Delirious and Saving Face. The intimacy behind the sex scenes was also to die for. While it was provocative and very sensual, it lacked the crudeness of the scenes in Better than Chocolate. The camera work on both of the sex scenes was also well done. Their first time together was well portrayed with just the camera work in itself. The fact that you never really got a full picture, but instead it was a mangle of limbs, lips, and moans made it very believable as a first time between two in-the-closet girls. Their seduction of each other was also...wow....

Characters

What I first must say about all the characters in the movie is that all the characters really represented different sides of the spectrum. Some were controlled by their men, others were rebels, others were just confused, and others were just ... getting by. I could go into each of the characters, but why ruin it! Watch it yourselves, and you'll see!

However, I do want to talk about Leyla and Tala. Both were really at times opposites of each other, and often times I found myself being reminded of the relationship between Noemi and Michel in The Secrets. Tala was very outspoken, open minded, fierce, and very intelligent. There's a reference that she went to Cornell... so shout out! Leyla on the other hand is very shy, reserved, has a strong sense of family expectations, etc. A writer and a business woman... what do you expect? Their development and their feelings were expressed phenomenally in the movie. Their fears, their joys, their love made me fall in the love with the characters and their stories. Watching Leyla coming to terms with her sexuality and facing her fears head on, and becoming stronger for it, and Tala going through her own thing and her own obligations made this movie very thought provoking and brought up my own insecurities and concerns. They were not only validated but also given hope for the future.

Family

Well, what can I really say about the way that family was treated in the movie? Only that it was done superbly! You had the relationships with siblings, mothers, and fathers, and all of them were handled, albeit with a light undertone, quite seriously. The relationship between Leyla and her sister was very nice to see. Her sister was very open minded, and the scene in which she figured out that her sister was hiding something was hilarious! (references were made to K.D. Lang, lesbian literature, and even a book by the director herself). Leyla's coming out to her parents was also very touching and covered a lot of different themes and issues that come up when coming out to family (expectations, disappointment, religion etc). Tala's family dynamic was also interesting to watch. The reactions and actions from her sisters and parents also covered many aspects that are sometimes a part of the coming out experience. Sure, maybe it was too many different kinds of reactions thrown into one, but... sometimes that just has to happen.

Alright! So, I have spoken enough, and if you stuck with me through the end...good for you! Now, go rent/buy/download this movie for yourself and tell me what you think. It was a great movie, and it's ending was definitely part of the positive lesbian movie! It really did leave me smiling.

While you're at it, pick up the soundtrack too. The music used was amazing!