El amor es éxtasis (1997) watch online HD

This movie was a surprise from the beginning. I thought it was going to end up like a teenage sex film but was more than pleased with the film as a whole. It dealt with sexuality in a way that I have not seen in American movies. It was beautifully done, wonderfully acted by all the players and the images and content stayed with me for weeks afterwards. It is not for the prudish but if you are in the mood for a powerful film about human sexuality, marriage, and how the dance between the partners can and should be, this is a movie for you. Watch it with someone that you care deeply about.

I truly enjoyed this movie. I rented it to watch alone, my wife out of town for the weekend, and I am definitely going to get her to watch it with me when she comes home. There were a few scenes that strained my ability to believe, such as when the main character would attempt to advise strangers, but they ended up really just providing humorous relief. I can't really imagine the modern practice of Balthazar's profession as presented in this movie, but everything else was intuitively spot-on. The movie is erotic, but even more importantly, it is a richly layered love story, one that I personally, really became invested in emotionally. There aren't too many movies that focus on the relationship within marriage, and give powerful hope for the unimaginable possibilities within it. Bliss definitely does this. It's very real, and I thought the acting was excellent. Perhaps I'm easily moved, but I found myself sitting close to the screen, fully emotionally locked into the script. My grade? A-

Excellent movie; treats marital problems in an adult non-salacious way that is both informative and enlightening. The nudity reveals the beauty of the human body without being pornographic. Terence Stamp makes it all work. Both Sheffer and Lee do excellent jobs as well.

This movie is a difficult one to watch, but well worth it. The sex scenes have been handled with tact. This is an honest look at the marriage between a relatively stable man, and a definitely unbalanced woman. Though it's Terrence Stamp's performance that is the best, Sheffer and Lee give moving and audacious performances in this unique love story.

The music is amazing. It works so well in the film, and it hightens the mood of the movie very well.

Not everyone will like it. A film about adult sexuality, where sex isn't portrayed in a cartoonish "teenage" way, is a daring idea. But it works beautifully.

Movies made about problems in sex in marriage usually draws expressions of horror, or we don't want to know about it. Bliss explores one area, and there are many, of one cause and it is not uncommon, and a remedy other than traditional medicine to fix that problem.

Critics have called Bliss educational to laughable and even soft porn. Foxtel Australia (released on cable May 1999) say the truth lies in- between. Foxtel saw fit to censor several scenes of the cable version, which in my opinion completely destroyed the Director's main plot and visual effects to tell the real story of something quite different in the use of another therapy, Tantric therapy. I obtained my own uncensored copy so my comments are based on visual scenes and dialogue on the therapy used, very limited but the basics are there.

The film was dedicated to Pauline; Maria's characterisation could have been Pauline. There are many Pauline's in this world that have had help or still need it.

The dialogue exchanged between Joseph (Craig Sheffer) and Tanner (Casey Siemaszka) on the wedding day when Joseph said, Maria (Sheryl Lee)"she has some problems". She sleeps with a fly swatter [little bugger], cleans the house twice a day, locked bathroom door, suicidal, neurotic, compulsive. Oh! how I know about bathroom doors and neurosis.

Maria's nonchalance of her wedding day to her Mother is obvious when she shrugs her shoulders and regurgitates. This is when the plot starts to unfold Maria's mannerisms and idiosyncrasies (getting her Father to check if there is a snap undone), the nervousness and stomach upset.

Through the gateway from this borderline psychotic state (we learned this later on) that Maria has, sometimes ends in Depression, and Baltazar Vincenza (Terence Stamp) stops Maria going there with the use of the ancient art of Tantric lovemaking, so it seems. It didn't take much to work out that if Maria had more therapy from the staid and clinical Alfred (Spalding Gray) she may have ended up on the wrong side of that borderline.

There are some lighthearted scenes and dialogue because this movie, Bliss, is about real people, real problems and real things. The scene on the building site is especially real where Carlos and Nick advise that Baltazar Vincenzahas have 4-6 women on the hour and every hour per day and teases all of them. The uniniated into tantalic doctrine would find this perhaps laughable.

The scene in the hospital where Maria is pouring out the reasons she is there is a gem. This explanation of Marias' problems comes late into the film, but that's the way it seems the Director wanted it, and it captures my imagination to find the reasons later.

The on screen chemistry and interactions of Sheryl Lee as Maria, and Mark Scheffer as Joseph capture the moments magically.

The special artistry of capturing what matters by Australian Cinematographer Mike Malloy (A Clockwork Orange) is again done with due care and in good taste in some of the explicit scenes, where it is important to explain visually the method of this chosen therapy.

Terence Smart invigorates the movie as Baltazar Vincenza, confidently played with clear diction, precise timing (cup of tea) (like to dance) (I promise) reminiscent of the transvestite Bernadette in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, realising a different role once again.

Alfred, well played by Spalding Gray as the run of the mill, we will get it fixed by conventional therapy eventually. Until Joseph asks about Baltazar Vincenza, and then the sparks fly and the film enters a new panorama of drama, explanation and entry into a New World of therapy.

This movie has a tight script, well directed, excellent acting, and a very different way of surrounding the plot with something different to fix a common problem in marriage. It is a scene that few wish to be in, Vincenza (to Joseph), why do you put so much into it when you get so little back? Indeed, I know what he means.

Lance Young worked with production executives of Warner Bros. And Paramount and no doubt saw some fabricated screen plots, so he took to writing his own screenplay about real things and people. He no doubt found this hard and personal, but the end result in Bliss was worth the effort.

The film, in my opinion is educational to someone who knows the problems of Maria and the adoration a husband like Joseph places on his partner and marriage. The more it is viewed, the better and educational it gets, rather than having to read and view many volumes of text and videos on the subject of Tantric lovemaking, a subject that has it's poo-hoo critics.

I will be waiting eagerly for Lance Young's sequel to this excellent movie, if any.

I agree with the poor plot device comments previously mentioned. But I think this movie is very important.

Now, I am quite OK with men, I am not a feminist, nor do I have any distaste for strong-willed or -minded men. But I think the movie is actually about the husband and about a common problem with men. Bliss presents the idea that very few western men allow the notion of a balanced male, taught in Eastern philosophies and faiths, anywhere near their minds. Stamps's character is presented as the balanced man, although almost ridiculously so.

Anyway, I think Bliss shows how a man can use his strength to be a more gentle, confident leader, who is even more sexually alluring and commanding, than a common American man. In the West, men have been programmed to away from their feminine side(read: communicator, appreciative of beauty, nurturer). I think this movie wants to say that men who understand it and embrace it can do amazing things and have a great effect on the people in their world, and on themselves. This is emphasized by the abusive father. He shows the worst extreme: if left to twist up on himself, a man can become a terrible thing.

And the extremity of Stamp's character is used to show how each man (ie, Craig) can pick and choose his own style. He doesn't have to be 'everything' like Stamp is, he can find his own way.

I know the landslide at the end seems strange and out of place, but, it shows how Craig's character's changes helped in his own life: it gave him the patience and confidence with which to wait for his wife, and the gentleness to forgive her and try again. I think we are supposed to guess that if he had not changed, and they had split up, that a reconciliation could not have happened.

I think in some ways the movie is great. Well, the story and theme are.

BLISS is a powerful, courageous film about sexual healing and the courage and love necessary to make oneself whole. It also has a lot to say about how we refer to men and women in modern American culture, and from that, how easy or unaware surface descriptions can be.

Bravo to the cast and crew! A perfect 10!

Every man and woman in America should see this film!

If you tired of "hard-edged" action, booty call, and fake-it-till-you-make-it sex scenes, give yourself a real treat and see "Bliss." This is a movie that entertains and educates by taking on a subject about which most people are absolutely ignorant, i.e. real Eros. With a beautiful soundtrack, intelligent dialog and fine acting, "Bliss" challenges our notions of sexuality and requires audiences to think outside the box. Women will recognize this film as...ah, finally! A bonus - the information about Eros portrayed in the film is absolutely accurate. This film is fine entertainment and a crash course in what sex is really all about - getting more turned on and staying that way. This should be required viewing for adolescent male Americam film-makers of all ages.

I see this movie on TV...For three times. I was touched. It is a masterpiece...

I am a psychotherapist and first of all, I am a soul of a woman. I would recommended " Bliss " to my patients. I am sure that only special people can really feel this movie.

I felt every touch between Joseph and Maria. First time when I see it, I was fall in love with Craig Sheffer. His performed was exceptionally also the Sheryl Lee performed. It is rich in sensuality and emotions.

I cannot find the right words...This movie are worth watching. Moreover, feel it! I will try to find more movies like this one. However, I think it does not exist.

I ended up hiring this movie because it stars the very beautiful Sheryl Lee, but I liked it when it was over.

Everyone in this film gives a great performance, particularly Stamp and Lee. Sheffer is adequade and Spalding Gray is boring as he always is.

I found it hard to feel unmoved by the scene in which Maria (Lee) explains to her husband why she has problems. It is very sad that someone has to go through all that pain and suffering.

I see this film as more that "a quest for an orgasm", as my friend put it, but a well acted drama that is also very entertaining and somewhat educational.

As for the sex scenes, they are very well handled and they are not dirty. There isn't much nudity (the video cover is very misleading) and people in it talk more about sex than they do it.

Great film, it should be more well known and recognized. Everyone, tell your friends to watch Bliss. It makes you think about how your partner really feels in bed....

This is an odd little movie about a handsome yuppie couple, Maria and Joseph, who have serious emotional problems. She is frigid and possesses a "borderline" personality (whatever that is), he is obsessed with "curing" her - making her more to his liking. Naturally, therapy is called for. After some initial unproductive consultations with a marriage counsellor, a more unorthodox therapist is resorted to. This rather preposterous figure, Balthazar, (he is a violinist of concert standard and ace motor mechanic as well as therapist and lives in a grand booklined apartment), has sex with his female patients and generally carries on as if he were above the rest of humanity. In real life of course he would be quickly struck off, despite the lines of satisfied patients trooping out of his rooms. Initially antagonistic, Joseph becomes an acolyte, and eagerly soaks up the mish mash of yoga, breathing control, masturbation, mind games and crackerbarrel philosophy served up by the arrogant one. The couple make some progress (discovering bondage with Joseph as the slave helps) until a nasty secret from Maria's past comes out and, unable to deal with both it and her awakened husband, she asks him to leave. But all is not lost, time heals wounds and there is a reconciliation.

The problem with this movie is its inconsistency. It starts off as a comedy but veers mid way through into personal drama intercut with some fairly didactic lectures on sexual relations. There are some nice soft porny bits (in blue!) with the handsome couple that tend to detract from their severe psychological problems rather than illustrate them. The theme "screwing is as much a mind game as anything" does emerge reasonably clearly but it also helps, it seems, to be young, rich and gorgeous. The film apparently did not do well at the box office - a comedy or a porn film with a similar storyline would doubtless have done better. Believe me, it's not easy to deliver entertaining lectures.

I am also left wondering about Joseph's alleged "Pygmalion" complex - the desire to model the woman of his dreams out of Maria. He spends most of the movie on a quest for self-improvement, his attitude towards women in general improving considerably.

Terrence Stamp, British journeyman actor from way back, turns in an attractive performance as Dr Balthazar, "practising at the edge of the law," as another analyst puts it. All glistening eyes and shiny silver hair, he holds back just enough to allow a tiny bit of parody to emerge. Craig Sheffer as Joseph has porn star good looks (muscles, no body hair), a perpetually surprised expression, and a reasonable acting range. We see more of him than Maria, (Sheryl Lee, of "Twin Peaks" fame.) Maria spends a lot of time crying, which Sheryl seems to be good at.

Location filming was in Vancouver, which provided some pretty backdrops. The streetscape was far too clean and tidy to be any large city in the U.S. Canadians might be a buttoned down lot but at least they pick up their rubbish. The film is apparently a first effort from writer/director Lance Young, formerly a production executive. One could be cruel and say "stick with your day job" but it is not an uninteresting movie. There are solid acting, nice locations and a few interesting ideas. Yet the story itself is highly improbable, and the people involved too pretty and stupid to really engender much empathy in the viewer.

I am appalled at some of the comments made by other viewers about this film. The ignorance many people have about sex is flaunted by them as "morality" or "sensibility." What "Bliss" illustrates so clearly is that sexual ignorance and the patriarchal system are the things that are killing both good sex and understanding between the sexes. It's unfortunate-and yes, it's probably true as someone else here said, that for the sake of commercialism, the movie had to get an "R" rating and certain scenes and bits of dialogue were apparently trimmed. From what I read, one of the things left out for the sake of not getting that much-feared "NC-17" was the word "clitoris." (Can I say that here?) It's hard to believe that a mere clinical word could cause that much censorship trouble-in a movie dealing with orgasms, at that. The movie should have left out the word "frigid" since the psychiatric profession no longer uses it that much, preferring "pre-orgasmic" instead. But there you have it. The male-dominated society we live in indeed makes certain rules-and it is those rules and how they affect sex and the destinies of the sexes, that are nevertheless gently skewered in this film. If Maria has been "damaged" by her past, her husband and most men have been damaged by simply being men-by playing the male role. To me this was a courageous movie, despite the censorship, because it showed a man gradually unlearning his traditional male conditioning, to the point where (spoiler) he admonishes a friend not to speak of women as body parts. True liberation means that men spread the word to other men. Did you also notice the difficulty with which at first the husband speaks about sex to another man(the therapist?) He learns to take sex seriously. We don't know how deeply he has been damaged by his upbringing as a "normal" American male, but at the beginning, his reactions are close to violence-while at the end, he seems to be able to accept reality without raging so much. These are important messages-and those who commented that this was just a "sex" film are not watching the appropriate film.

But especially hard to watch because I am married to a BPD woman. My wife turned the movie on and then went to bed, leaving me to just take it all in. This movie is quite accurate in its portrayal of a BPD person in a relationship (especially when she was caulking the entire house, priceless). They do compulsive things and expect people to go along for the ride. Even more of a power struggle than one's average marriage.

The only unrealistic part about the movie (besides Balthazar having sex with patients and being open about it) is that Lee's character is actually interested in getting better and shows such improvement in what seems to be short time. Often, facing such a difficult road proves too much for an already fragile psychology.

Yes, discovering a history of sexual abuse in one's past would lead to some level of healing but there is a genetic component to BPD. Just like any disorder involving the brain, the affected person has to relearn how to interact with people they care about because they process stimuli differently.

In reality, if a therapist discovered that a person is Borderline or NPD, they would likely advise the spouse to leave the marriage when there are no children involved. Recovery is not the norm, and yes, spouses of these people often have their own problems...

In any event, this movie hit close to home and I felt like sharing. For people dealing with a BPD spouse "Bliss" it is both hard to and fulfilling to watch.

I think this is an unusual "inner growing" movie. It runs away from "easy, commercial topics" about sex, comedy and violence. Too bad for the money: good intentions (even if you consider them accomplished or not) must be rewarded, no matter if they make money or not. A lot of easy trash consumers will find it boring, or ridiculous. Few very experienced sexologists and psychologist will find it "naive". But sensitive people will find it at least inspiring, full of good willing. I applaud the director, because he dared to make a definitely non-commercial movie about sex. A serious movie, very honest. In my opinion, a must. I would like the director (or anyone else) to make more movies like this one, and the producers to give money to make them. OK, Balthazar is too much like the "perfect guru", incredibly steady and "I always say the right thing in the right moment". But the director balances this at the end, or at least tries to do it. OK, the husband falls too quickly for a standard occidental man into a reasonable mood, but... too often, in "normal" films, the characters act the natural, instinctive way, instead that in a mature way. The film is about people acting in a civilized, adult way. And, if that have the risk to be unbelievable, on the other side I like it. Men are not animals, it is time for movies (and books) to consider interesting characters like this. Sorry for my poor English!

There is more to the marriage of Joseph and Maria, a young couple on the path to a sexual awakening with the help of Baltazar, (another off the wall performance by Terence). This section of the film is most intriguing with an intelligent approach and advice in understanding your body and sex. How much is fact goes beyond me so I took in every word and found myself attending a therapy session. What also helps you to enter this hypnotic state is the images accompanied by the overpowering music that draws you in no matter how much you try to stand on the outside as an observer. You may be excused for thinking that you are watching a sex awareness education film but what a great way to learn that sex is more than just sex!

Bliss is a powerful and absorbing movie which explores the nature of adult sexuality and love. The plot revolves around the relationship of a newly married yuppie couple,Steve and Maria.We quickly discover that Maria is a compulsive neurotic bordering on the psychotic who is already in therapy and who soon reveals herself to be incapable of having an orgasm. Although an acutely sensitive person she is essentially very loving and copes by faking it. This leads her and eventually her husband to meet with Baltazzar, a sex therapist played with a beguiling calm charisma by Terence Stamp. They thus begin a difficult journey leading to some very important discoveries about themselves. On this journey the Director, Lance Young, engages strongly with such themes as the very nature of sex and love and our capacity to fully give.Steve is a reasonably sensitive man, but like most men has to deal with a strong sexual libido and a dominant male culture which encourages us to put its satisfaction first.His journey is therefore towards increasing awareness and selflessness which ultimately brings its own rewards as he begins to understand the nature of real love and to be able to give and receive it. The sex we see is never gratuitous and has an emotional reality which is rooted in the context of this developing relationship. It is light years away from porn and the simplistic banality of much Hollywood sexual depiction. I suspect many men will be challenged by it in the same way Steve was by the situation he found himself faced with, but it is a journey worth taking.Craig Sheffer and Sheryl Lee give performances as the young couple which ultimately draw us into the movie,but it is Stamp who holds the film together supported by an engaging and often beautiful sound track that heightens its mood. There is a nice twist at the end when Baltazzar embarks on his own new relationship and Steve wryly reflects on the difference between giving advice and putting it into practise with someone you love and whose personality you therefore accept as part of the deal.A film for adults with open hearts and minds. Highly recommended.

I think I saw the NC-17 version of this movie in the theater. I can't imagine it would make as much sense with an R-rating, since the movie is about sex, and a woman taking a rather unorthodox path to becoming orgasmic.

Lots of women aren't orgasmic during sex, it's quite common, and while taking up with a tantric sex instructor who looks and talks like Terence Stamp may not be the course most women would take, it's nice to see a movie about a woman taking charge of her own sexuality. And certainly nice for all of us to watch! Very hot movie. Okay yes, he's a little pretentious, but he's playing a sex guru so I would suppose he would have to be a bit--he certainly is convincing as a tantric sex instructor.

And then at the end the movie is ruined by dropping in a very heavy, out-of-place and unnecessary explanation for a common and natural situation. Of course that sort of circumstance could produce anorgasmia, but the movie almost gave the feeling that all anorgasmia is pathological. Rather repellent and a heavy jarring note to such a light and sexual movie.

"Bliss" was a pleasant surprise. Since "A River Runs Through It," I have not been impressed with Chaig Sheffer's work. But "Bliss" demonstrated that he still has the talent necessary for a leading man.

The story deals with the delicate subject of frigidity. While some would make light of the topic, "Bliss" takes a serious look at how a young couple handles the problem.

Terence Stamp, an underappreciated actor, delivers another high quality performance. While this movie may not be for everyone, I found it entertaining and thought provoking.

The trouble with "Bliss" (I generously rate it a 3 out of 10) can be summed up very quickly. It is all theme and no plot. So intent was writer/director Lance Young in telling us his views on sexual abuse and healing that he forgot that a movie must first have a story to tell.

"Bliss" seems much more like a Psychology student's graduate school thesis than it does a legitimate movie. The major plot points become mere afterthoughts: How does Joseph discover that Maria is visiting a sexual therapist? He accidentally sees her walking into the office. How does Marie discover that Joseph is seeing the same therapist? She accidentally sees him walking into the office. That's how much imagination was put into developing the story.

Director Lance Young has cast the movie well, but his actors have little to play with and all end up looking rather foolish. As the lead actress, Sheryl Lee is a perfect example. She simply plays a toned down version of Laura Palmer from "Twin Peaks" fame. In fact, this movie could almost have been titled "Laura Palmer Didn't Die But Instead Got Married And Became A Rather Boring Housewife." Although that title would not have sold a lot of tickets.

Of course, don't take my word for all this. If you really want to see how good or bad this movie is, simply check out writer/director Lance Young's credits here on the IMDb. Made back in 1997, "Bliss" is still the only credit in either his writing or directing career.

There is a reason for that.

Bliss is psychological, Bliss is sexually Educational, Bliss is poetry, Bliss is a dream

...At the same time, Bliss is also sort of pretentious in that it thinks it is making important or original statements. At the most basic level, Bliss is about a couple who have trouble in bed, but it is in the way this is sold that makes the movie feel refreshing, and unique. Bliss is about as bold as they come. It succeeds in being erotic without being gratuitous and the photography is exceptional. Cinematic sex never looked so up close or intimate, not just physically but in words. David Cronenberg's Crash is the only film of the top of my head which may be able to match Bliss for....well.....detail.

What I think could use a tune up about Bliss is Sheryl Lee. You get the sense that the material is a bit beyond her, perhaps a bit too distant. She has a bit of trouble breathing life into her role. This is essential seeing as she is the catalyst for the story. Her inability to have an orgasm puts enough pressure on her husband to seek out a rogue sexual therapist who agrees to train him in the art of making love (using nine stages of intimacy, if I quote him correctly).

Bliss is not for credibility-obsessed viewers, nor is it a film for the impatient or the immature. It is sexuality on a professional level. It might not perfect but It certainly stands out, and is certainly recommendable.

An exploration of a couple's, especially the man's, devotion to love and to his marriage. Despite her obsessive-compulsive behavior Joseph (Craig Sheffer) loves Maria (Sheryl Lee). Initially, their sexual love appears to be an expression of their love, but all is not right, most profoundly within Maria. They attempt to work with a therapist (Spalding Gray). Maria visits an unorthodox practitioner (Terence Stamp). Joseph's discovery of this fully opens his eyes, and eventually his heart. I've seen this movie many times, and I learn or re-learn a new lesson with each viewing about the meaning of love and devotion, the importance of self-discovery, despite its discomforts, and power of the human spirit to overcome a potentially catastrophic personal history. I love the unorthodox ideas presented by Stamp's character, although they aren't fully explained. There are gaps in the telling which ought to have been filled in. Yet, this is a movie that I believe many people and many couples would benefit from. The story-telling, the narrative drive, moves forward quite well-enough for those with lessened attention spans, yet devotes the time to exploring a loving relationship with heart, understanding, compassion and imagination.

I don't think this is a great movie, but I do think it has some great points. It deals with sexual dysfunction in a way that is different from most films. I'm not sure it's necessary to say that I'm going to give a spoiler here, since movies about a female's sexual dysfunction generally give the same cause for it, but for those who haven't noticed this, then I guess I'm going to give a spoiler here. Anyway, this film's different approach to sexual dysfunction is particularly apparent where Lee's character describes her past relationship with her father and how she felt about things at the time; few movies dare to stray from the typical "horrific memories of abuse that I repressed in the past are now ruining my life" approach. This film does not exploit Lee's character's past abuse, like so many other films seem to. Her past abuse is essential for understanding who her character is and what her relationships are with those around her, as this movie is a character and relationship study. Her abuse is not treated trivially or like some cheap plot device. It is also valuable to see how Lee's character's abuse affects her husband; so often, movies and television shows have the guy deal with such things in a highly unrealistic and polarized manner, even though knowledge of another's abuse can profoundly affect others as well. This movie does a decent job of dealing with this.

I think this is a good movie for couples to watch; many people would benefit from observing the characters in this film communicating with each other.

For those who are turned off by a lot of sex in a film, this movie does have it, but this film is NOT like soft porn. The sex is generally not erotic, and it seems to be more about the characters involved than about the act itself. Even the sex in this movie is about communication, and I think that's a valuable thing, because so many people seem to clam up when it comes to sex, rather than talking about it with their partner.

As for Lee's character's borderline personality: For those who don't really know what that is and who find that the movie's description was too vague or ambiguous, if you type "borderline personality disorder" into the search box in most any search engine, you will find that there are lots of sites devoted to BPD, which may give you a greater insight into Lee's character. Or head down to your local library (or perhaps university library) and pick up a copy of the DSM-IV or a psychology textbook. Just avoid self-diagnosis or diagnosing your friends with the information. BPD is quite a fascinating this; I'm surprised more movies don't make use of it, instead of constantly using Multiple Personality Disorder (now called "Dissociative Identity Disorder") and/or repressed memories to explain everything unusual a person does, especially considering both MPD and repressed memories are highly controversial topics in psychology at the moment.

O, man. Okay, first off I'm gonna just admit to you all here that I have a similar problem to one addressed in the film, a wife who by nature (or genetics or abuse, who knows) isn't very interested in sex. So, I got this movie for some insight cuz I can't afford a shrink. After watching this movie over and over, I'm no better off than when I started. My ultimate conclusion is that the film IS entertaining; Terence Stamp is one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a film. But the main thing that threw me off was there was something about half way through the film where it makes fun of itself...there is a montage of short scenes set to music where they show the patient going through the doctors exercises, and they set it up comical. If this film was made to make us aware of the tantric (hence the title BLISS), this part shoots the film in the foot. Also, Sheryl Lee over acts sometimes and I know she's playing a psycho but it served to throw my mind off again into thinking we're getting off track here. There was also something about the film that made it hard to follow. One of my fellow reviewers here said it was hard to watch and that is true. Like I said, I watched it repeatedly and I would be at work or something thinking about the film and there would be these big blank spots. I'd come home and go over these spots again and I'd still be like "uh....???".

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)

What we have here is a tantra shrink, a psychoanalytic shrink and a women's support group counseling shrink, and together they cure (that's the implication anyway) a woman made frigid, compulsive, obsessive and I forget what else by her father's sexual abuse. This bit of glorification of therapy suffers from the sort of defect usually found in an action/adventure/thriller movie, namely that of illogic. It seems that what really caused all this harm was the penis, the father's mean staff. This is the lie. (A trendy lie, by the way.) However what is really being presented here unbeknown to the authors in an unconscious acting out is the glorification of the penis. This is consistent with shrink psychology since those guys still haven't freed themselves from the Freudian obsession with it, and it is consistent with the American patriarchy since the one thing so sacred in our society that it cannot be shown publicly (except in double X-rated flicks) is the erect penis. And it's the patriarchy that has exclusive possession of that. (Sorry girls!) Any dyke can tell you that this kind of psychology is a phony tantalization leading to the perpetuation of penis envy.

The problem with any attempt at sexual honesty in a public sense is it's really impossible because we are within the sexual system ourselves and subject to its taboos, no matter how we might try to break away. This restraint on true expression is most felt by the most highly socialized members of society. Highly educated and over socialized shrinks typically tend to be blinded more than others (hence society's penchant to make fun of them). And even if they could see the truth, they couldn't express it since they would be out of business. It is only the crazies and the great artists who can break free of the taboo system and see what's real and express it. What we have here is unfortunately not the work of a crazy or a great artist, but of highly sensitive, highly socialized members of the human society trying to make a living. Trapped and struggling to break free, but of course giving in to the propaganda and the straitjacket of the species mechanism. If you are a member of the society, you cannot tell the full truth about the society. You have to break free first. You have to move outside that society. And if you do, you probably won't care enough to express yourself.

We can see that the authors of this movie tried to break free and thought they really were on the right track, ah but, they smelled commercial success and in the end conformed to society's prejudices, society's taboos and fed us back the usual sexual BS. If somehow a sexual counselor were to really understand human sexuality and (more important) be able to transmit that understanding to others, he or she would immediately be condemned since the system itself, by its very nature, demands duplicity and hypocrisy. That is the most important single thing we can learn about human sexuality: the veil of illusion. Sexuality must be private and not public and as such any public pronouncement must be a lie. It's a hard truth to realize, but something known in the heart of every prude and Republican congressman (although not in their minds). When those with starry-eyed visions of telling it like it really is come close to the holy grail of sexual truth they falter. One might call it the magnetic repulsive nature of sexual knowledge.

Having said all this I applaud the attempt. Incidentally the sex scenes are very sexy and the three stars, Craig Sheffer, Sheryl Lee and especially Terence Stamp do an excellent job. Director Lance Young unfortunately sells out, but he had no choice. As Jesus said, he knew not what he did.

As difficult as this movie is to watch and an as strange as it many seem in the end what we learn through watching it is that some men are capable of doing the most disturbing things, even when it's to their own female children and that we should be ever vigilant and in the case on the mother in this story not deny what the adult child finally realizes. One of things I learn to value about myself through the story is that we should all accept our bodies as they are and not try to make them into some males ideal. The story is a sad commentary on the male of the species, but I have to believe that the percentage of men that think that way are rare. At least I'd hope so.