Swingers

>> An in-depth examination of the sexually adventurous in The Lifestyle

by MATTHEW HAYS

With his in-depth examination of swinger culture, The Lifestyle: Group Sex in the Suburbs, David Schisgall has made a fascinating documentary. Early on, the film seems to reveal these sex groupies as common-sense, free-love types, gleaning heavily off of the sex-liberation movement of the '60s.

These folks realized that they enjoyed having sex with multiple people, enjoyed wife-swapping, and see nothing wrong with it. As one interviewee suggests, sex with multiple partners can be seen as recreation rather than love and should not be regarded as a threat to the bond with your significant other. Schisgall interviews groups of swinging couples from across America, supplying a cross section of them. Many of the couples seem rather endearing, and their straightforward discussions and descriptions of the sex act supply some laughs.

As the film progresses, though, some of what the gang says is a bit disturbing. One man explains that a woman who likes to have sex with a number of men in a row is a "marathoner," and that the name was changed after some black people "ruined" the term gang bang so they couldn't use it any more. And when expressing the singles' clubs' openness about women being bisexual, one woman also says that were one of the men to express bisexual inclinations, he would be asked to leave, immediately.

Soon enough, this thing starts to look less and less like a sex doc and more and more like a geek doc, à la Trekkies. These folks have conventions where they all dress up in idiotic costumes and cheer each other on for saying stupid and boorish sex-related things. Flaky, new-agey spiritual beliefs surrounding sex are expressed. There are also various bits of swinger paraphernalia on sale at the conventions.

Schisgall saves some of his most unsettling footage for the last act of the film, when several of the somewhat older and saggier folks start getting it on. It's a sequence that goes on for a while, but it's an astute reflection of this sub-culture. And here's where your prejudices against those who don't look like they stepped out of a Calvin Klein ad will be tested. Highly imperfect, older bodies do the nasty for what feels like an extended period of time in what can best be described as geriatric porn. It's part of Schisgall's unblinking portrait of this group of carnal enthusiasts. You have been warned.

The Lifestyle opens Friday at Cinéma du Parc