Little Death, The

Released by: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Released on: October 13, 2015
Directed by: Josh Lawson
Cast: Josh Lawson, Bojana Novakovic, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Damon Harrimon, Kate Box, Ben Lawson, Patrick Brammall, Kate Mulvaney, T.J. Power, Kim Gyngell, Stephanie May, Lachy Hulme, Erin James
Year: 2014
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The Movie:

In a middle-class Sydney, Australia neighborhood, four couples cope with the collision of romantic love and sexual kink. There's Paul (Josh Lawson), whose partner Maeve (Bojana Novakovic) tentatively informs him one night at bedtime that she'd like him to rape her. ("You're a fucking ten, Babe," he replies, prompting her to explain that no, she didn't say "rate.") A few doors down, Dan and Evie are trying to get through a dry spell with some counsellor-suggested role-playing, but Dan is pathetically unable to grasp the point of the strategy. Then there's Richard and Rowena (Patrick Brammall and Kate Box), whose pattern of having sex on a timetable for procreation's sake takes a hit when Richard's father dies suddenly and Rowena realizes that his tears arouse her appetite for sexual spontaneity. And let's not forget Phil (Alan Dukes), whose bad-tempered wife Maureen (Lisa McCune) is far more attractive to him when she's unconscious. There's also single working-girl Monica (Erin James), whose job as a Skyping go-between for hearing-impaired phone callers takes an interesting turn when a male client enlists her to act as a conduit for dirty talk between him and a phone-sex worker.

Functioning around the edges of all this is new neighbor Steve (Kim Gyngell), who goes door-to-door handing out handmade, vaguely racist cookies as an icebreaker for discharging his legal obligation to inform his new neighbors that he's a convicted sex offender. Everyone he speaks to, however, is too preoccupied in his or her own issues to pay much attention.

In case it isn't plain, yes, The Little Death (a literal translation of a French term for orgasm) is a comedy. And for the most part, it's a pretty damn funny one, with plenty of sweet-spiritedness and old-fashioned heart mixed in with the grownup (and surprisingly nudity-free) goings-on. That's not to say, however, that some of the proceedings aren't a little on the squirm-inducing side. (At one point, Paul's attempts to indulge his wife's fantasies go violently wrong. At another, Richard gets wind that Rowena has badly botched a staged disappearance of his beloved dog.) And while the cast's kinky adventures do bring some of the couples closer together, that's not the case across the board. Still and all, The Little Death has more genuine laughs—and more insight into the workings of human relationships—than nine out of ten mainstream rom-coms. That critics have assailed it for its writing seems more than a tad nonsensical, unless one considers their reaction as part of some larger political correctness at work.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Magnolia Home Entertainment brings The Little Death to Blu-ray in an AVC-encoded, 1080p high-definition presentation framed at 2.40:1. The film has a typically modern look: realistic but with slightly desaturated colors. It was shot on an Arri Alexa in the digital format and sent out to theaters for digital projection. The result is a movie with a minimal amount of artificial grain to create the illusion of film which, while it doesn't quite work, doesn't look like old school video, either. Detail is high, particularly in facial close-ups and medium shots, of which there are plenty; this is, after all, an ensemble piece built around characters and their relationships as opposed to special effects and action sequences. There's a great deal of depth, particularly in the external scenes, and absolutely zero crush.

The film's soundtrack has been placed on the disc in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This isn't a sound-effects or score-heavy film, yet what's there has been carefully modulated for maximum effect. As can be expected with a film this recent, there are no issues to report concerning the sound elements. There are English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired, as well as subtitles in Spanish and French.

Magnolia has placed a respectable number of extras on the disc, including two featurettes, an interview, and trailers, to wit:

“A Little Look at the Story, Casting & Directing: From Script to Screen,” a documentary short that runs one second shy of ten minutes and features interviews with producers Jamie Hilton and Michael Petroni, director Josh Lawson, and actors T.J. Power, Patrick Brammall, Bojana Novakovic, and Kate Mulvaney. The participants discuss their reaction to the script and what it was like on set, as well as how the film came about.

“Inside the Cast & Characters: Relationships & Sex,” which runs a little over 11 minutes and features interviews with Novakovic, Lawson, Brammall, Mulvaney, and Power, as well as Kate Box, Kim Gyngell, Damon Herriman, Lisa McCune, and Erin James. They discuss their characters' fetishes, personalities, and motivations.

Finally, there's an interview with writer/director Josh Lawson, which runs a little over 16 minutes. Lawson focuses on the sexual fetishes of his characters and how those fetishes “complicate love and life.” He explains the purpose behind his non-judgmental approach and why he wanted his film to operate within the framework of monogamous sexual relationships.

An original theatrical trailer for the film runs 2:31 and does a great job of selling it.

Other Magnolia trailers placed on the disc include those for Results (2015), Serena (2014), Life Partners (2014), and A Long Way Down (2014). There are also advertisements for Chideo, the so-called “Charity Network,” and cable and satellite channel AXS TV.

The Final Word:

The Little Death is hilarious and heartfelt, if a bit uncomfortable at times. Lawson's writing is challenging and eye opening, and he coaxes believable performances from his actors. Magnolia's Blu-ray release does well by the film, thanks to a nicely reproduced image, strong sound, and enlightening extras. The Little Death may be the funniest comedy of the past two years and is well worth watching for anyone interested in a film that trades in sexual fetishes but with a fairly conservative, marriage-centric approach.

Christopher Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror film review series. Volume 2 of that series (covering the 1930s) is currently available from Midnight Marquee Press, Inc.

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