John Cameron Mitchell is one of the most singular filmmakers working today. And though many people know him for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” perhaps the best representation of his artistic style is in the comedy, “Shortbus.”
Now, a little more than 15 years after its world premiere at Cannes, “Shortbus” is getting a beautiful 4K restoration and a theatrical re-release, courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories. In the new trailer for the film, you’re introduced to the plot of “Shortbus,” which follows the story of a woman desperately trying to get in touch with her inner sexuality and finds herself exploring all facets of sex with a group of disparate strangers.
The film features a cast that includes Sook-Yin Lee, Paul Dawson, Lindsay Beamish, PJ Deboy, Raphael Barker, Peter Stickles, Jay Brannan, and Justin Vivian Bond. As mentioned, “Shortbus” is written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The filmmaker first broke out with his acclaimed film, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” After “Shortbus,” he directed various episodes of TV series, as well as the films, “Rabbit Hole” and, most recently, 2017’s “How to Talk to Girls at Parties.”
“Shortbus” will begin its run at the IFC Center in New York City on January 26. From there, it will roll out to more cities in the weeks to come.
Here’s the synopsis:
John Cameron Mitchell’s SHORTBUS explores the lives of several emotionally challenged characters as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex in and around a modern-day underground salon. A sex therapist who has never had an orgasm, a dominatrix who is unable to connect, a gay couple who are deciding whether to open up their relationship, and the people who weave in and out of their lives, all converge on a weekly gathering called Shortbus: a mad nexus of art, music, politics, and polysexual carnality. Set in a post-9/11, Bush-exhausted New York City, SHORTBUS tells its story with sexual frankness, suggesting new ways to reconcile questions of the mind, pleasures of the flesh, and imperatives of the heart.