Center of the World From:Shane Edelman , Balthazar Getty , Molly Parker , Peter Sarsgaard , Karry Brown , Wayne Wang , Live / Artisan ,
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Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0012236122876
Format: NTSC
Label: Live / Artisan
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
Publisher: Live / Artisan
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2001-12-18
Running Time: 88 minutes
Studio: Live / Artisan
Theatrical Release Date: 2001
Product Description:
The titular center of the world is a matter of perspective in Wayne Wang's (The Joy Luck Club, Smoke) notorious, explicit drama of emotional isolation and sexual commerce in the modern world. According to rich, apathetic cyber-geek Peter Sarsgaard (Boys Don't Cry), it's his home computer. Amateur rock & roll drummer and part-time stripper Molly Parker (Wonderland) deems it an erotic part of the female anatomy. Their "date" is merely a sexual contract that takes them to Las Vegas, a place as phony and impersonal as their so-called romance. "You know it's just an act, right?" she reminds him between her slinky bump-and-grind striptease shows and their sweaty sexual gymnastics. The Internet makes a great metaphor for modern social alienation, with its impersonal communication and virtual sex, but there's not much else new in this familiar story other than the erotic content. Shot on dimly lit, high-definition video, the gray, washed palette sucks the glamour and titillation right out of the spectacle, turning it into an empty, soulless exercise in physical sensation and self delusion--appropriate to this story of lonely souls unable to break through their own isolation. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
3 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 Sex, Power, and Let's Not Be Coy About It. , 2008-01-23
In 2000, director Wayne Wang changed his pace from studio-supported movies to make a low-budget film about sex and power. "The Center of the World" was his first digital film, shot alternately on a Digi Betacam and Mini DV. Most critics didn't like it, but it is a rare film that deals with sex as frankly as this one, an unflinching exploration of the costs and consequences of sexual power. And this is a sexy film. There is a lot of sexual game-playing in it. My only complaint is that the Mini DV used in so many of the intimate scenes and close-ups brings out too much detail and makes the actors look sallow. This was before the days of HD DV, so the quality leaves something to be desired.
Richard (Peter Sarsgaard) is a twenty-something technology entrepreneur whose hard work and dismal social life have made him co-owner of a company about to go public. He's going to be rich, and he'd like to enjoy himself. He is attracted to Florence (Molly Parker), a woman who frequents a local coffee shop. When he finds out that Florence is a stripper, Richard offers her $10,000 to spend three nights with him in Las Vegas, thinking this is an agreeable way to make his fantasies come true. Florence accepts, on the condition that there will be no intercourse. "It's all an act. You know that, right?" she says.
Richard is used to being master of his own world, building a company and a fortune from behind a monitor and keyboard. Florence makes a living with her power to inspire men's imaginations and fulfill their fantasies while maintaining distance and control. Richard and Florence like each other, and their arrangement seems mutually beneficial. They have lively conversations about mundane things...until the power game becomes a power struggle. To what extent did Richard's fantasy become reality? Most women would not act as Florence does; strippers are very conscious of boundaries. But does her unwillingness to cede power undermine her own interests? "The Center of the World" is unpredictable and provocative.
The DVD (Lions Gate 2001): Click on "Explore Me" to find a teaser, a trailer, 2 alternate endings (12 min) that I think are superfluous, bios and filmographies (text) for 10 cast and crew members, "Behind the Cyberscenes" (5 min), which is about creating the now-defunct interactive web site for the film, and Production Notes (text) that include comments by the director and actors. Click on "Tell Me Now" to hear audio commentary by director Wayne Wang and post production consultant Patrick Lindenmaier. This commentary is for 7 segments of the movie only. Choose a segment from the menu. Commentary is about technical issues, primarily how the "look" of the film was achieved and working with DV. Also click the "play" icon at the bottom to hear an audio-only comment by Wang.
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