When Two Won't Do

Filmmakers Maureen Marovitch and her boyfriend, David Finch, have a problem: Maureen believes in polyamory--i.e., loving relationships with multiple partners--while David doesn't much like the fact that Maureen has concurrent relationships with Craig, a divorced man, and Will, whose wife turned him on to polyamory (what they all refer to as “poly”) a few years earlier. In this feature-length documentary, Maureen and David set off to explore alternative lifestyles across North America, from the Lifestyles Swinger Convention in Las Vegas to the Loving More Polyamory Convention in New York, as well as visits with two polyamorous California families. While each of these encounters sheds light on the complex psychological and cultural realities of experimental, non-monogamous relationships, it's ultimately the jealousies, insecurities, and a few genuinely uncomfortable encounters with Will and his wife, Robin, which provide the central drama of the filmmakers' odyssey, while a personal tragedy late in the film adds dimension and unexpected gravity to their quest. Of course, the people here sometimes resemble characters in a soap opera, and one wonders how some find the time during their interpersonal intrigues to do much of anything else, not to mention why David would agree to subject himself on camera to all the intimate details of Maureen's extended love life. As the film bears out, however, he truly loves her, she cares for him, and they sincerely want their relationship to work out--both are honest, intimate, and willing to confront personal weaknesses, while engaging in thoroughly provocative discussions. A more personal film than the similarly-themed and sexually explicit The Lifestyle: Swinging in America (VL-5/01), this is recommended for larger human sexuality collections in public library and academic settings. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)