XX/Xy [DVD]

Features

• Type: DVD
• Studio: Alliance Films
• Language(s): english, english

A sharply acted film that manages to be both sexy and thoughtful, XX/XY asks uncomfortable questions about the tricky business of passion. The opening half-hour details an immature college relationship between Mark Ruffalo and Maya Stange; cut to 10 years later, when the two meet again as "grown-ups" and have no idea what to do with their old feelings. Director Austin Chick bravely allows his characters to be messed-up and uncertain, and the actors respond with complex performances: Ruffalo confirms the promise of his You Can Count on Me breakthrough, Stange is a heartbreaking Australian discovery, and Petra Wright shines as Ruffalo's new girlfriend, who has more to her than we first suspect. This film was somewhat lost in the shuffle of 2002's indie releases, but it deserves a look for its clear-eyed embrace of all the gray areas that often get left out of movies. --Robert Horton