Arrrgh!!!

I read a review of the new movie in the Chicago Tribune Tempo section, this morning. One line caught my eye: "One marker of Campion's women is that each experiences radical mind- and soul-stirring change."

Campion believes that our sexuality is a strong life force which we have to face and deal with.

I was thinking about the character "Ada" in "The Piano." She was willing to trade sex, at a time when that was unthinkable, in order to have her piano. She gives in one piece of clothing at a time, adjusting slowly and erotically to the idea of being unclothed, until the issue is not the piano, but the physical relationship.

And there lies the rub (no pun intended, billy). Not all of us look like Meg Ryan, or Nicole Kidman. Taking your clothes off for a man, when you are twenty, or thirty or forty is a doable thing. But there comes a time after 40 when you realize you are better off leaving parts of you covered. A little mystery is an amazing thing, and it can be a comfort too. A silk kimono, a gorgeous, sexy slip or a man's oversized shirt might make a relationship more erotic, than baring all, or swathing yourself in flannel.

Perhaps Campion is not old enough yet to have discovered that as we age, we also change how we deal with our sexuality. A quick encounter looses out to a prolonged exploration, and the trip becomes as important as arriving.

I fervently hope that she continues to make her films, and that her characters mature as she matures, so we can see her take on how we adjust to the changes that come our way. My mother tells me that old age is not for sissies. I doubt Campion has it in her to be a sissy, so we can hope for interesting films from her for some time to come.