Sex with Strangers

Conservative political factions who are currently drum beating the "preservation of marriage" tune will probably be apoplectic over this title, which adds the philosophy of "the more, the merrier" to the sacred union. Joe and Harry Gantz, the creators of HBO's Taxicab Confessions, aim their voyeuristic video cameras at a trio of couples who engage in swinging--described in the press notes as a "vastly popular underground subculture." Who knew? Or, perhaps more appropriately, who cares? The couples come across as both immature and self-indulgent, and it is no surprise that two of them find their marriage fraying over the course of the film. One of the women is hospitalized and put on psychotropic medication when she discovers her mate has been engaged in online cyber-flirting with another woman, while in another relationship, the introduction of a third woman unleashes overt jealousy and hostility so puerile that one almost expects Jerry Springer to pop up in the midst of the madness. But while The Jerry Springer Show plays for cheap laughs, Sex with Strangers plays for cheap thrills and doesn't shy away from presenting the swingers in their full naked glory; regardless, whatever titillation can be mined from this documentary is overpowered by a horrible sense of pity for the insecure people who flaunt their sexcapades for the camera. Far from illuminating the swinging lifestyle, the Gantzes do little more here than make sex seem depressing. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)