Themes: Haunted By the Past, Love Triangles, Romantic Betrayal
Main Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Kathleen Robertson, Maya Stange, Petra Wright, Kel O'Neill
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A man finds himself having to decide between one of two women -- not once, but twice -- in this independent drama. In 1993, Coles (Mark Ruffalo) is a film student at Sarah Lawrence where he meets two fellow undergrads, Thea (Kathleen Robertson) and Sam (Maya Stange). Coles and Sam come together and Thea fades out of the picture. In time, Sam tires of Coles' aimlessly hedonistic attitude, and they break up. Ten years later, Coles, after a failed career in feature films, is doing animation for an advertising agency and living with his girlfriend, Claire (Petra Wright); Thea helps run a successful restaurant with her husband, Miles (David Thornton); and Sam, smarting from a bad breakup, returns to New York after several years in London. Coles runs into Sam and discovers he still has strong feelings for her, but has to decide if they're strong enough to break off his relationship with Claire. XX/XY was the first feature film from writer/director Austin Chick. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
The idea of Nowhere and Splendor star Kathleen Robertson playing yet another ménage à trois participant, this time in a grown-up drama, may have given fans of the alternative ingenue pause. Indeed, distributors apparently thought XX/XY such a hard sell that the modest indie sat on the shelf for over a year before its brief theatrical run. That is a shame, for writer/director Austin Chick's solid debut is anything but an overheated Adrian Lyne epic or a belated entry in the 1990s Threesome/Three of Hearts oeuvre. Instead, it's a thoughtful and well-observed character study that, however slight, wears its wry humor well and earns its insights honestly. The early scenes, involving the chance coming together and inevitable coming apart of three artsy undergraduates in the early '90s, exhibit a wincingly unglamorous honesty about the less-than-sexy nature of collegiate sexual experimentation. The meat of the film, however, examines the retroactive emotional power that such experiences can accrue as adult responsibilities box in once-limitless possibilities. A coming-of-age saga for a class of privileged bohemians whose adolescence often extends well into middle age, XX/XY never falls back on romantic truisms as it examines the thorny ambivalence that comes with maturity. Chick's measured dialogue, elegiac tone, and subtle approach to social minutia belie his film's tiny budget and modest production values. For just one example of his script's quiet thoughtfulness, witness the shift of Robertson's character from jaded wild child to grounded wife -- perfectly believable, with no explanation necessary. Ultimately, hers is a supporting character beside Maya Stange's brittle, high-strung beauty and Mark Ruffalo's baffled, baffling man-child. All three principals, however, bring quiet power to well-crafted material that gently persuades rather than insists. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
John Spafford - Jonathon; Zach Shaffer - Nick; Joey Kern - Tommy; Evan Neumann - Guy Who Asks for His $ Back; John A. MacKay - Mitchell; David Thornton - Miles
Credit
Terrence Dunlop - Art Director, Ellen Parks - Casting, Susan Welsh - Co-producer, Sarah Beers - Costume Designer, Patrick Gittes - First Assistant Director, Austin Chick - Director, William A. Anderson - Editor, Pete Beaudreau - Editor, Mitchell B. Robbins - Executive Producer, Insects - Composer (Music Score), Lynn Geller - Musical Direction/Supervision, Judy Becker - Production Designer, Uta Briesewitz - Cinematographer, Mitchell B. Robbins - Producer, Isen Robbins - Producer, Aimee Schoof - Producer, Robert Hein - Sound/Sound Designer, Jose Torres - Sound/Sound Designer, Austin Chick - Screenwriter, Robert Hein - Supervising Sound Editor
XX/XY is a film released in 2002 starring Mark Ruffalo, Kathleen Robertson and Maya Stange. The film is a romantic drama written and directed by Austin Chick, the title referring to the different chromosome pairings present in men and women. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in the year it was released. Although the funding for the film came from the U.S., the film was produced by British company Natural Nylon.
Plot
After two college students, Sam (Maya Stange) and Thea (Kathleen Robertson), meet Coles (Mark Ruffalo), an animator, at a party, their mutual attraction leads to a passionate and awkward night together. They form an unstable friendship, and continue to push their sexual boundaries. Soon, their friendships are tested by Sam and Coles' romance and Thea's increasing reckless behavior. Inevitably, their relationships dissolve due to fear, resentment and mistrust on all sides.
Eight years later, they reunite. Cole, now an animator for a high-profile ad agency, lives with his girlfriend of five years Claire. Thea, the former wild-child is happily married to Miles, with whom they share ownership in a very successful and flourishing restaurant. Sam has returned to Manhattan from London after breaking off her engagement. Upon reconnecting, the three are drawn back into their old and complicated dynamic. They are soon forced to confront the true meaning of commitment and love, something they avoided as young adults.
