Bedways

A woman named Nina (Miriam Mayet) decides to make a sexually explicit film in this sexually explicit film from director RP Kahl. The opening sex scene finds Nina and Hans (Matthias Faust) in a dark room—presumably a set, as afterward the pair are identified as a filmmaker and actor, respectively, although whether their coupling represents some kind of audition is not disclosed. Although Nina has no script, budget, or title, Hans agrees to portray Paul in her movie about love, which will costar Marie (Lana Cooper) as Jeanne. The filming takes place in Nina's Berlin loft, where she shoots the action with her rented camera, disrobing during the process, perhaps to put Hans and Marie at ease. As days go by, we witness sex, arguments, a band performance, a party, and a minor injury (which leads to a risky act). But atmosphere and physicality trump plot here, as questions about the trio and their relationships go unanswered. In essence, both Kahl's and Nina's productions exist primarily to watch three people navigate sexual situations. Although the effect is probably unintentional, Bedways plays like a satire of German art house cinema with attractive characters who smoke and spout profundities over an electronic score. The Michel Foucault quote at the end is meant to imbue the scenario with meaning, but it's too little too late. Not a necessary purchase. (K. Fennessy)