Sexual Meditation: Room with View
Encyclopedia
Sexual Meditation: Room with View, is a 1971
four-minute pyschosexual rumination film on the often blurry nature of gender roles in the copulatory ritual. Shot on 16 mm film, the picture introduces the viewer to two distinct characters, a male
and female
, although many have postulated that the female is simply an illusionary impression of the male's apparent sexual frustration
.
is seen sitting on a chair
in a room with view. The woman is seen from various angles both in proximity to the camera itself and lying near the open window with her rear
exposed towards the audience
. This leads the audience to wonder whether the title implies that said view is what lies through the window or is in fact the unclothed woman herself. At this point, a naked man is seen on the same chair as at the opening squatting up and down suggestive of a tantric sex position. His conspicuous distinctness from the female character is evocative of the sexual incompleteness characteristic of Brakhage and his contemporaries. Next, the woman is seen again engaging in a bout of quick pirouettes signifying the lightness with which her gender approaches the mating game. At the climax
of the film (and perhaps the implied sexual congress itself), the man repeatedly leaps both from the chair and towards the mattress
with the intention of conquering the female. The audience is left with the impression that the man never achieves his desired goal and, like the viewer, is condemned to experience his fantasy
as a mere view from afar.
1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
four-minute pyschosexual rumination film on the often blurry nature of gender roles in the copulatory ritual. Shot on 16 mm film, the picture introduces the viewer to two distinct characters, a male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
and female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
, although many have postulated that the female is simply an illusionary impression of the male's apparent sexual frustration
Sexual frustration
Sexual frustration describes the condition in which a human or animal is in a state of agitation, depression, stress, loneliness or anxiety due to prolonged virginity, sexual inactivity and/or sexual dissatisfaction that leads him or her to want more sex or better sex, or a state in which he or she...
.
Plot synopsis
A naked womanWoman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
is seen sitting on a chair
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
in a room with view. The woman is seen from various angles both in proximity to the camera itself and lying near the open window with her rear
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
exposed towards the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
. This leads the audience to wonder whether the title implies that said view is what lies through the window or is in fact the unclothed woman herself. At this point, a naked man is seen on the same chair as at the opening squatting up and down suggestive of a tantric sex position. His conspicuous distinctness from the female character is evocative of the sexual incompleteness characteristic of Brakhage and his contemporaries. Next, the woman is seen again engaging in a bout of quick pirouettes signifying the lightness with which her gender approaches the mating game. At the climax
Climax (narrative)
The Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
of the film (and perhaps the implied sexual congress itself), the man repeatedly leaps both from the chair and towards the mattress
Mattress
A mattress is a manufactured product to sleep or lie on, consisting of resilient materials and covered with an outer fabric or ticking. In the developed world it is typically part of a bed set and is placed upon a foundation....
with the intention of conquering the female. The audience is left with the impression that the man never achieves his desired goal and, like the viewer, is condemned to experience his fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
as a mere view from afar.