The Love Machine (1999)

SPOILER

It's odd that when I think of hard-hitting, skillfully crafted documentaries that I don't think of PBS but HBO. The cable giant has become my favorite source for modern excursions into documentary filmmaking from WACO: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT to its "Real Sex" series. THE LOVE MACHINE is highly reminiscent of the latter's adventure into the manifestations of modern sexuality in its use of an internet swingers site as subject matter.

[...] Filmmaker Becca Campbell wants to find out what makes these exhibitionists tick. Who are the people on the other end of the keyboard? She convinces Marcus to subvert his "clients'" anonymity and manages to track down five Love Machine clients who allow her to enter their lives.

Not only does she come into her subjects' lives but she turns them upside down. Campbell is a highly volatile filmmaker who constantly strives to upset her "victims," pulling the rug out from under their feet whenever she can. When we first meet the five folks--Akira the closeted Asian homosexual in denial (and engaged), Julio the lecherous Latino professor who cheats on his wife and collects compromising photographic trophies of the students he seduces (and posts them on his site), Beverly the lusty older lady who spins tales of her two young lovers, Chip the boisterous gay Black man, and Shino the Asian gal with a dorky boyfriend and voracious sexual appetite--they claim to not know anything about the internet; doing a terrific job of hiding their online personas. Unsatisfied with their façade of normalcy, Becca reveals her knowledge of their secret "double lives" a half-hour into the film.

I was very aware of the pacing of the film, noting the time at which Becca would turn from a seemingly passive observer to bloodthirsty provocateur. Fifty minutes into the film, Becca shows her subjects a "rough cut"--again to prove that she knows more about her subjects than they want her to know, making them (and the audience) question whether her film is exploitative. Becca's place as a documentarian is frequently compromised afterwards as she pressures Akira into coming out to his friends and confronts Julio's wife with evidence of her husband's affairs.

Regardless of her questionable motivation and morals, THE LOVE MACHINE has a terrific balance of the five (should we count Becca as six?) subjects of the film and their significant others. As an example, just when one wonders how Shino is progressing with her boyfriend and their first threesome, they're reintroduced into the film. Likewise there is a nice balance between color and tinted black and white film, giving the entire documentary a good overall look.

THE LOVE MACHINE questions the rights of the documentary filmmaker. How far is too far? When should the cameras be turned off? And, conversely, when do the subjects of documentaries reveal too much? Shouldn't they be more wary of the strangers entering their lives? How much of an act do we put on in daily life and when do we lower our guard?

Becca theorizes at one point that the internet has become an abode for people's collective unconscious and that she has taken on the mission of forcing these five folks into confronting their "dark selves"--the images they've painted of themselves on their web sites. While Chip is unabashed in his self-portrait, Akira runs from his, and Beverly lives in denial of hers--admitting to and then contradicting herself about the fantastic tales she spins on her site.

The most wonderful thing about THE LOVE MACHINE occurs during the end credits after we learn the extent of Becca's effect on her subjects' lives. The credits roll and observant viewers see that Becca was played by Marlene Forte, the part of Akira was performed by Jun Suenaga, Chip was associate producer Chip Garner, et cetera [...]. Yes, THE LOVE MACHINE is an expertly crafted mockumentary. All the startling revelations, all of the shocked expressions, all of the lewd conduct, all of Becca's probing questions, were faked.

Working from an informal shooting script, the actors would improvise extemporaneous dialogue during rehearsals before the cameras would roll. Eriksen culled his cast from an ad he ran in Backstage magazine and lucked out with leads that not only appeared fresh and realistic, but weren't afraid to doff their drawers when it was called for!

Shooting a faux documentary is a cost-effective move but few are so completely successful in their believability and inherent interest of their subject matter. The wonderful trickery of director Gordon Eriksen doesn't undermine his work. Instead, it only serves to intensify the questions that the viewers should be asking themselves during the duration of the film and amaze the audience in regards to the fantastic performances of the performers. Even knowing that the film was faked when going in, I often found myself believing that the characters on screen were real. June 2, 2006

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