On Room in Rome, the sort of story that I might have written.

Today I watched Room in Rome while EV training a Pokémon (don't judge me), and it was a surreal experience—not just the combination of an erotic lovestory and Pokémon battles, but the fact that Room in Rome is the sort of story that I would write. Not its specifics, but its generalities are elements I often revisit:

A love story that, rather than being a romantic comedy, has an unsettling or pensive vibe; containing explicit sex, queer sexuality, and probably at least a glimpse at issues of sexual orientation; containing also character development that is revealed by but partially independent of the romance and probably has a dark bent; in a limited narrative POV, maybe something of a lush style, with a possible side helping of esoterica; ending negatively or ambiguously, especially if it's a passionate love affair. If it were my story there would probably be a more explicit power dynamic (Room in Rome offers some—Alba's fears of Natasha, the power of truths and lies—but its not quite up to my preferred levels) and something a little more strange or socially unacceptable than Natasha's heterosexuality in the context of a homosexual relationship (see: my fetish for unusually intimate relationships), but for the most part the movie was my id, fragments of my stories, on screen.

For all that I'm not sure if it was good. Or rather, yes, it's quite good, it's intriguing and beautiful and at the very least it's competently told and therefore surprisingly watchable, given its somewhat unusual aspects (constant nudity, explicit sex, artistic cinematography, bold music). But was it great? I don't think quite so (the way that truth, lies, and character development pans out is a bit overdrawn, and the film occasionally gets lost in its own style, especially near the end); I also don't know if I fell in love with it. Sometimes I think that I create the stories that I want to encounter, that I wish I could encounter, but encountering one of the stories I might create it felt almost ... passé. I may not have put out much in the way of a finished product, but I've told that story, I've seen those characters, give or take the specifics; there was little new for me there, and I guess I do want someone new to me in other people's stories. But then again, the fact that it hit my id buttons but didn't quite hit my gut may mean that it wasn't better than good, wasn't great.

(I think my other holdout is that in plot structure, themes, and the fact of its unique presentation, it reminded me a bit of the fantastic Conversations with Other Women. They're hardly so similar as to be redundant, but I loved Conversations unequivocally and so it can't help but overshadow Room in Rome.)

I'd recommend it, though. Films like it I think are rare, and while it sometimes treads towards pandering (sometimes in the visual style, more often in the sex scenes) that rareness makes it valuable. Room in Rome, as well as Conversations with Other Women, are currently on Netflix Instant, so if you use the service and are looking for a film, you may want to consider checking them out.

Health update: almost all better! Also a lump who lies in bed all day.

Also, as a side note: I am plagued with a lingering cough and a touch of congestion, but otherwise have finally (knock on wood) recovered from this bug. Devon is (knocking again) on his way there a bit faster than I made it, congested but otherwise fine. So yay!

I have, on the other hand, been down with a bad case of the lumps. All I ever want to do is lie on bed under the covers (like, well, a lump). Sometimes this is a bad thing—I may be a bit depressed, and I've certainly been unproductive. Just as often this is perfectly fine, for it is very comfy atop my modal sheet. Either way I've been a bit AFK, playing (tons of) Pokémon and reading and sometimes poking at the internet but doing little more than browsing, because, yes, even sitting up in bed with the laptop is effortful. Thus we explain yet another silence that probably no one noticed because they're hardly uncommon around here.

The health update is more important. It is nice to have some health again.