Although one wouldn't suspect it from the two men having sex in the opening scene, P.J. Castellaneta's Relax...It's Just Sex is about more than just sex. It's about a group of friends, their lives and their bonds with one another. The circle of friends is so diverse -- they are gay, straight, bisexual (...or was she just confused?), white, black, Latino, single, married, happy and sad -- that everyone in the audience can relate to it somehow.
Quite like the variety of films offered during the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Relax's themes are sometimes familiar, sometimes unusual, yet always poignant. Relax, however, introduces them to the audience through a cast of characters from all over the sexual, racial and personality spectrums: the lesbian love triangle, the artistic gay man who believes that AIDS and HIV are not related, the gay man with HIV, the gay, but devout Christian couple, the woman who loses her baby, the man who believes he'll find meaning in his life by running off to Cairo and the gay man who is forever looking for Mr. Right. Jennifer Tilly (Monster's Inc., Bride of Chucky) brings life to Tara, a straight, impatient-to-get-pregnant woman who is funny, spunky and does not hesitate to make one laugh as well as cry.
The movie itself is quite controversial delving into such volitile issues as AIDS and rape. The subject of rape in particular is brought up in a dramatic (and, might I add, particularly painful to watch) scene where a gay man defends himself against a heterosexual man and then proceeds to rape his attacker as a form of revenge. Director Castellaneta, who did a short Q & A session after the movie, assured the audience that the controversial scenes were meant to cause a strong reaction in the viewer.
Through its blunt exploration of controversial topics and "close-to-home" issues, this film is touching, entertaining, while keeping the audience on its feet.
