The Little Death

Focusing on the sex lives of five couples, THE LITTLE DEATH goes behind closed doors in the suburbs to uncover a hidden world of taboo fetishes. Stuck in carnal monotony, these individuals seek extreme ways to spice things up. Mauve wants her boyfriend Paul to rape her. Phil discovers sex is best when his wife Maureen is passed out on sleeping pills. Evie and Dan become obsessed with roleplay. And Rowena is so turned on by seeing her husband Richard cry, she goes to disturbing lengths to make it happen. There's also Monica and Sam who is deaf – strangers who meet through an awkward but endearing video relay phone sex session. Holding it all together is the presence of Steve, a comically creepy sex offender who recently moved into the neighborhood. Their newfound experimentation will certainly change their relationships, but maybe not in the way they planned. Director Josh Lawson effectively uses comedy to contrast the complications of forbidden sexuality; the strange urges that lead us searching for those short bursts of ecstasy. Sex is a weird thing. Sometimes you just gotta laugh about it. (In English and Australian Sign Language with subtitles) – E.F.