A Sexplanation (2022) Film Review
One thing we can be sure about is that Alex Liu’s A Sexplanation isn’t the only sex-related documentary out there that addresses the very important issue of sex, sex education and its many considerations. In fact, we don’t even have to mention feature films as documentary shorts, journalists reports, blog posts, and regular YouTube videos, are also able to reach out and display the importance of this communication.
But few of these have the cinematic value that Liu’s been able to inject into his own film. And it’s exactly why the director’s adventure feels like the most grounded, the most important and yes, the most effective film related to this theme. A Sexplanation is a film that should be watched, celebrated and spoken about.
The outstanding documentary A Sexplanation is Liu’s intimate foray into the world built around sex taboos in the United States. His theme surpasses geographic frontiers but Americans have this weird, twisted way to approach sex as a dangerous issue one should always be afraid of. Needless to say, this doesn’t happen only in conservative America. It happens also in smaller, third-world countries. And fortunately, Liu’s agenda goes beyond and the message gets across nations and generations.
Due to a very original and modern approach, A Sexplanation feels like a pioneering film in a field that could spark judgment from every side. Liu even admits he’s biased at some point but he never undermines the “opposite”. He decides to explore it as well without a sense of mockery. Because to fight a cause you believe is wrong, first of all you have to accept its existence. Liu sees it as a culture that almost drove him to suicide because of his sexual preference, and he playfully portrays it as another additional player in a game that’s been going on for centuries. How he decides to fight it, is precisely the ultimate goal of his film: promote sexual education as the “solution”.
But to what problem exactly? A Sexplanation is a film that doesn’t open a veil to something unknown. The audience already know there are multiple sides to this view of sex as something other than a physical act. However, Liu’s film isn’t just an opportunity to teach. He uses his roadmap as an effective tool to tumble down the lies built around the ignorant sides of opinion. And I’m not talking about the conservative side only. It goes beyond.
A Sexplanation has a cathartic purpose for Liu, but he also presents the film as a middle ground for extremist considerations that have no place in conversations as these. Liu meets with a priest, scientists, his own parents, educators, specialists. What we get from his own encounters, which are unexpectedly revealing, is a necessary discovery of our own relationship with the theme of sex, sensuality and the way we’ve always experienced it.
This is a beautiful version of something that’s been addressed by other movies before but never with such honesty and emotional intelligence. It doesn’t matter if you’re queer, straight, bi, cis, or anything. A Sexplanation is a celebration of our own existence that goes beyond any labeling, or preference. Sex is part of everyone, and this film drives you to say that to yourself with no sense of shame. Just the way it should be.
