>>REVIEW
F*CK
DIRECTED BY: Steve Anderson
Opens Friday, December 8
Uptown Screen
The zesty naughtiness of potty mouth, the threat to free speech and our unwavering bashful attitudes towards sex are brazenly discussed in F*CK. Filmmaker Steve Anderson examines the prince of all expletives, using interviews with notable users and opponents of the multipurpose word.
Employing both satire and statistics, he also points to something more troubling – the unstoppable rise of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) south of the border and the increasingly influential Christian-based moral organizations that gasp at the mere mention of the word.
In a telephone interview from Los Angeles, Anderson explains the free speech theme began to present itself shortly after he began filming. The whole thing began as a joke, but as soon as he said it out loud he knew it was going to have a life of its own.
"Fuck can clear a room pretty fast," he says, adding he chose his interview subjects carefully to show both sides of the story. "I didn't want to make a polemic film and I also didn't want to use it as an excuse to say fuck a lot," he says.
Lively animation by Bill Plympton explores the endless grammatical uses for the versatile little word and adds to the humour. Clips of George Carlin in his flare-bottomed heyday, wondering aloud why there are so many euphemisms for seven little words, are insightful and just as relevant now as they were in the ’70s. In addition, Billy Connolly's speculation on the possible origins of fuck is wickedly funny and, with his Scottish brogue, even more impressive. No one can curse like the Scots.
Interviewing people from all political and religious stripes across the United States, Anderson filmed his subjects with a black background and at times, creative editing makes it appear as though they're directly responding to one another. It works to create a sense of friction and drama between outspoken porn star Ron Jeremy and the prim logic of Miss Manners.
The film also features vintage footage of Lenny Bruce, a maverick of free speech in America, who fought an uphill battle most of his short career. It's unsettling to think the same battle is still being waged between entertainers and the FCC.
Anderson says although he learned to curb his use of the word while making the film, he has a new respect for its power and effectiveness.
"I still find it an amazing word. I don't think anything like it will ever come along again." |
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