Cast: Molly Parker, Peter Sarsgaard, Carla Gugino
Director: Wayne Wang
Producers: Peter Newman, Wayne Wang
Screenplay: Ellen Benjamin Wong, based on a story by Wayne Wang & Miranda July and Paul Auster & Siri Hustvedt
U.S. Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
What happens when you generate a soft core porn exploitation film with art house sensibilities? The result is something like The Center of the World, a movie whose pretensions of being about characters and issues are belied by the naked breasts, exposed penises, and humping and grunting. Unfortunately, for those in search of a source of arousal, this movie isn't the best choice either. Sure, it's great to see all of Molly Parker (although this is certainly not the first time the Canadian actress has appeared in the altogether), but the film has only two tones: grim and grimmer. You can count the number of times anyone smiles on the fingers of one hand.
This is the second movie in six months that Artisan Entertainment has elected to release without an MPAA rating. (In both cases, the movies were certified NC-17.) However, that's where any similarities between Requiem for a Dream and The Center of the World end. The "offending" material in Requiem could not be eliminated without ripping out the heart of the movie. But a single minor cut of an unnecessarily graphic shot featuring an irrelevant character (who appears in only one scene and has no speaking role) would have given The Center of the World and R. Artisan is defending the decision not to make the edit as a statement in favor of free speech and artistic expression. And, while that's a laudable position to take, it seems more likely that the distributor is interested in provoking some sort of controversy - otherwise, no one might see this movie.
Despite having numerous opportunities to embark on a cinematic journey into largely unexplored territory, The Center of the World repeatedly ignores opportunities to take chances. The result is a storyline that meanders in a predictable, overly familiar direction. Even the themes it touches upon, such as the growing emotional isolation of men and women in a culture that emphasizes anonymous interaction (such as over a computer) over real connections, are far from groundbreaking. So, while it would be false to claim that The Center of the World doesn't have a message, it's safe to state that the film's thesis is one we've heard so often that most of us are growing weary of its constant repetition. Acclaimed director Wayne Wang is unable or unwilling to do something new with this concept; perhaps he was more interested in seeing how realistic he could make the sex scenes.
Richard (Peter Sarsgaard) is a wealthy entrepreneur who lives most of his life surrounded by computers. He gets everything from them - entertainment, sexual stimulation, information. To him, they are "the center of the world," because "computers are connected to everyone and everything." But, like most individuals who live their lives in an electronic fish tank, he craves human companionship. So, he offers a stripper, Florence (Molly Parker), $10,000 to accompany him to Las Vegas for a weekend. She is initially reluctant, but the promise of easy money intrigues her. She agrees, provided Richard accepts her laundry list of conditions: no talk about feelings, no kissing on the mouth, no penetration, sexual contact only between 10 pm and 2 am, and separate hotel rooms. (Guess how many of those still stand by the end of the film?)
At first, their interaction is awkward, with numerous uneasy pauses in their conversation. But, as Florence becomes more comfortable with Richard, and recognizes he isn't a creep, she relaxes. That leads to a growing concern on her part that her relationship with Richard could develop into something more substantive then a business connection, so she takes steps to ensure that won't happen. In the process, she wounds both herself and her companion.
Over the years, I have come to regard Molly Parker as one of the best actresses working today. She's also fearless in the roles she takes. Over the course of her career, she has played (amongst other things) a necrophiliac (Kissed), a prostitute who submits to brutal s&m (Suspicious River), and now, a stripper. In terms of her work, Parker doesn't appear to have met a challenge she won't rise to. The problems associated with The Center of the World cannot be laid at her feet (or at those of her co-star, Peter Sarsgaard, who is also good). She does the best she can with the thin material, molding a poorly-written character into flesh-and-blood human being we begin to feel for. Unfortunately, the screenplay consistently fails her, trapping Florence in a morass of clichés and ineffective melodrama.
For Wang and his creative team, The Center of the World represents a misstep. The film lacks the drama and strong character development necessary to appeal to a serious audience, and it is too stylistically pretentious (lots of desaturated colors, especially in flashbacks) to draw the interest of those looking for erotic stimulation. When compared to Exotica, the yardstick by which all films about strippers are measured, The Center of the World appears weak and ineffective. Ultimately, there's more to discuss when considering Artisan's marketing strategy than there is about the movie's content.
© 2001 James Berardinelli