Swinging Couples (October 5/06)

Swinging Couples marks the latest effort from Simon Boisvert, an indie filmmaker whose previous features - including last year's Barmaids - have dealt heavily with contemporary relationships and the problems that tend to emerge between the sexes.

This time around, Boisvert shifts his focus to the world of swinging and follows three couples of varying happiness as they start to experiment within their relationships. Not surprisingly, each of the six primary characters reacts differently to the carnal shenanigans - with Diana Lewis' Lisa particularly horrified by the entire endeavor.

Though Boisvert - along with director of photography Nathalie Lasselin - has infused Swinging Couples with a pleasantly ambitious sense of style, there's simply no denying that the dialogue remains the focus of the filmmaker's attention. His characters spend the majority of the movie's running time discussing the pros and cons of adopting unconventional lifestyle traits, and while the ceaseless chatter often threatens to become overwhelming, Boisvert generally does an effective job of injecting the proceedings with a palpable feeling of authenticity (thus ensuring that doldrums never quite set in).

The uniformly effective performances certainly go a long way towards keeping things interesting, and help allay the nastier aspects of their respective characters' personalities. Swinging Couples clearly isn't for everyone, but for those that can stomach it, the movie does have valuable insights into the darker side of relationships.