I Am Curious: Yellow/Blue

Although it was seized by U.S. customs officials and declared pornographic, I Am Curious: Yellow exercises the intellect more than the libido. Beyond the breasts, simulated sex and flaccid penises, Yellow's (driven by controversy to become one of the highest grossing foreign films in the U.S.) contemporary appeal is for fans of the French New Wave and cinema-verité documentary movements, rather than those looking for Swedish porn. Lena Nyman stars as Lena, a 22-year-old actress appearing in a pseudo-documentary directed by her lover Vilgot Sjöman (played by the film's director Vilgot Sjöman). An intellectual innocent, Lena becomes increasingly politically involved as she interviews people on the street about the hypocrisy of Sweden's class system and gender repression. As her leftist politics grow, so does her sexual appetite. While the film's shock value has dwindled, and the strained meanderings within the text will be of interest only to a small audience, the raw, funny, and totally natural performance by Nyman still packs a punch. I Am Curious: Blue, which shares characters and plot lines with its predecessor, was greeted with indifference by American audiences, and suffers from a been-there-done-that malaise, though its sociopolitical concerns are actually better rendered. Ultimately, these are groundbreaking but dated experimental movies that benefit hugely from Criterion's characteristically loving treatment. In addition to sharp b&w transfers, the DVDs include interviews with the filmmaker, and extensive background on the obscenity trial that made Yellow famous. Recommended, with reservations. (D. Fienberg)