SCENES OF A SEXUAL NATURE

"You come here often?"

A break up, an opportunity, a sneaky look, a major decision, a liaison, a blind date, a divorce and a chance meeting, that are all connected by one thing… love. As people come together and relationships start, continue, develop and come to an end, the one thing they have common is their love for Hampstead Heath.

Collective stories that interweave have become commonplace in independent film but can the tales from a summer's day on Hampstead Heath keep you enthralled?

Set over one afternoon, we meet seven couples and discover a small insight into their lives when they visit Hampstead Heath. Here they talk about and go through some of the most painful, emotional, amazing and monumental moments that people can experience. We have a couple on a blind date, one finalising a divorce, one ending, one thinking about having children, one going through the motions and one rediscovering each other after years apart. Each offers a short insight into the couple's life, with no real backstory or any completion of what they introduce. Just a small snippet into their lives.

This collection of stories has managed attract the attention of a top-notch UK cast. Hugh Bonneville, Eileen Atkins, Tom Hardy, Andrew Lincoln, Holly Aird, Sophie Okonedo, Polly Walker, Benjamin Whitrow, Catherine Tate, Adrian Lester, Douglas Hodge and Ewan McGregor come together to play a collection of very different roles. There are standout performances from Tom Hardy as the overly friendly Noel, Andrew Lincoln as Jamie, who gets caught looking at something he shouldn't, Catherine Tate and Adrian Lester as Sarah and Pete, a couple going through divorce and Hugh Bonneville as Gerry, who bumbles his way through a blind date. All of them contribute to the stories and make the film extremely watchable.

What makes this movie stand out is the story behind it. This is triumph of independent movie making. Financed by the cast, crew and private investment, the group made and distributed movie with no studio or other company helping them on the way. All of their publicity was created by themselves, all saving as much money as they can. This shows a true independent spirit that director Ed Blum and his creative team can be very proud of.

'Scenes of a Sexual Nature' is a fun insight into the lives of these couples. As with any movie like this is that you want to know more about them. Only being let into a short moment of their lives leaves you begging for more, especially when you quickly become connected to many of them. This is an excellent example of how an idea can blossom into a movie and how passion and hard work can make a film that showcases what British cinema can achieve.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the presentation is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Audio Commentary by director Ed Blum and writer Aschlin Ditta
This chatty and fun commentary track reveals what the pair, the cast and crew and the financial backers went through to bring this film to the silver screen. They talk about the production of a low budget, independent movie, getting the cast together and many behind the scenes stories from the production of the movie. This is a good commentary track that offers a fascinating insight into the production of a British movie with a difference.

Making of Documentary (37.59 mins)
Director/producer Ed Blum, screenwriter Aschlin Ditta, casting agent Emma Style, executive producers Vadim Jean, Suran Goontilake and Amanda Wilkie, director of photography David Meadows, editor Joe McNally and stars Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hardy, Sophie Okonedo, Polly Walker, Catherine Tate, Adrian Lester, Douglas Hodge, Gina McKee and Ewan McGregor reveal how 'Scenes of a Sexual Nature' came to the silver screen. This is a fascinating insight into how a truly independent movie was made.

The Last Post: BAFTA Nominated for Best Short Film 1996
Watch the Ed Blum's short film about the perils of dropping off a parcel for the last post of the day.

Theatrical Trailer
Watch the trailer that previewed the film in cinemas before it was released.

OVERALL

For a low budget movie, the DVD treatment of the film is very good. The commentary track is chatty and fun and the documentary offers an insight into how the movie came about and its successes. Fans should be very pleased.

DVD

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2006