Wow! This movie is fantastic! The surface is all straight-to-video B-movie "Wild things"-wannabe "watch-it-once-then-forget-for-good", but under the surface lies both a clever satire on, AND a perfect study of, human nature. Paul Verhoeven should love this movie! Three people wash ashore of a deserted island: we got your basic WASP (the always underrated Zane), his trophy wife (the beautiful Brook) and your basic mcjob cabana boy.
Without a link to 'the world', things start to go "lord of the flies": in isolation, where your knowledge, money and social status mean nothing and you are measured by your primal abilities - hunt for food, build a shelter - the woman truly becomes a trophy as the cabana boy finally has his day, being supreme to the so-called "educated man".
Now I believe some people would call this movie thin and questionize the main trio's actions and reactions. Well for those sore comments I say, open your eyes. If you want proof, watch 2 episodes of "Big brother". The darker side of humanity is back-stabbing, oversexed, lying, cheating, provocative... and violent. As a disclosure, let me sum up the characters for you.
The cabana boy = the player. All us guys know he's the type who doesn't give a damn for women's mind but fakes it damn well (proof: if there were other women on the Island, he wouldn't rest until he'd slept with all of them). Around this self-indulgent male women lose control of themselves and fall for his brown eyes, even WHEN he turns out to be very persistent on the sex business (respect, yeah)... and even though he said she could decide what happens between them (yea, right). Women still fall for this... His motto: "Don't think about him, he doesn't deserve you. Let's dance"
The woman = the trophy. Does she control the situation or vice versa? Beats me. All I can say is, whatever she told her husband on the aisle turns out to mean squat when there's either a more providable alpha male (or a puppy-eyed cabana boy) around. Her mottoes: "Can't we just forget this ever happened?" or "It was your fault!"
The WASP = turns out to be the bad guy, (again). Yep, no sympathy for the white collar. Even though he's a hard-working and loving husband. He sees the cabana boy making moves on his wife - a situation NOT helped by the fact that his wife tries to deny it - so he does what he'd do in the world also when there's competition, he works double time. To provide shelter and food for his wife. Who just can not be thankful for his self-sacrifice. Ironically, this way he's away from "home" more AND stressful when he comes back, with his mind full of doubts from the time he was away! So he's kind of "pushing his wife" away, patting the way for the cabana boy. Wonderful metaphor of today's competitive lifestyle, alienated, unthankful housewifes and opportunist cabana boys!
"Three" - racist, pessimistic and extreme... or clever and VERY observant.
PS. Why the totally unnecessary Voodoo-mumbo-jumbo side plot?
Without a link to 'the world', things start to go "lord of the flies": in isolation, where your knowledge, money and social status mean nothing and you are measured by your primal abilities - hunt for food, build a shelter - the woman truly becomes a trophy as the cabana boy finally has his day, being supreme to the so-called "educated man".
Now I believe some people would call this movie thin and questionize the main trio's actions and reactions. Well for those sore comments I say, open your eyes. If you want proof, watch 2 episodes of "Big brother". The darker side of humanity is back-stabbing, oversexed, lying, cheating, provocative... and violent. As a disclosure, let me sum up the characters for you.
The cabana boy = the player. All us guys know he's the type who doesn't give a damn for women's mind but fakes it damn well (proof: if there were other women on the Island, he wouldn't rest until he'd slept with all of them). Around this self-indulgent male women lose control of themselves and fall for his brown eyes, even WHEN he turns out to be very persistent on the sex business (respect, yeah)... and even though he said she could decide what happens between them (yea, right). Women still fall for this... His motto: "Don't think about him, he doesn't deserve you. Let's dance"
The woman = the trophy. Does she control the situation or vice versa? Beats me. All I can say is, whatever she told her husband on the aisle turns out to mean squat when there's either a more providable alpha male (or a puppy-eyed cabana boy) around. Her mottoes: "Can't we just forget this ever happened?" or "It was your fault!"
The WASP = turns out to be the bad guy, (again). Yep, no sympathy for the white collar. Even though he's a hard-working and loving husband. He sees the cabana boy making moves on his wife - a situation NOT helped by the fact that his wife tries to deny it - so he does what he'd do in the world also when there's competition, he works double time. To provide shelter and food for his wife. Who just can not be thankful for his self-sacrifice. Ironically, this way he's away from "home" more AND stressful when he comes back, with his mind full of doubts from the time he was away! So he's kind of "pushing his wife" away, patting the way for the cabana boy. Wonderful metaphor of today's competitive lifestyle, alienated, unthankful housewifes and opportunist cabana boys!
"Three" - racist, pessimistic and extreme... or clever and VERY observant.
PS. Why the totally unnecessary Voodoo-mumbo-jumbo side plot?