The naked human form has alternately fascinated and repelled the public throughout history. While Michelangelo’s “David” and other classic images have withstood the tests of time, today’s censorship laws have made nudity a taboo subject in many circles.
Displays of human nakedness have been debated everywhere from art galleries to Congress. In the end, we have to ask ourselves, what is it we are afraid of seeing?
Dutch Doscher’s short film “Leave You In Me” captures a moment in time for a couple in crisis. While making love, an admission is made that threatens to tear them apart. Together, they must figure out what to do and where to go with the love between them. They discuss their crumbling relationship completely naked, both physically and metaphorically. At the end of the film, the inevitable crossroads exposes their false idealism and projects them in to an unknown future.
“I wanted to tell a story about a couple who were physically comfortable, but not emotionally comfortable with each other. I also wanted to show a couple where a conversation naked is no big deal,” said Dutch. “People brush their teeth and change in front of each other every day and just because they are naked doesn’t mean there has to be sex. The experimental part was trying to rise the story above the nudity so that people are moved by the intensity and forget they are naked.”
The film also pushed the actors to dig deeper, to expose the raw emotion right under the skin of their characters.
“The actors were so daring to do it and I will forever be thankful for not only being physically naked, but going to that dark place emotionally,” said Dutch. “The movie is not about the nudity, but about a relationship that finally has to pierce the facade and deal with issues honestly.”
Once he finished the film, Dutch discovered that a lot of people were very hesitant to support it. Many found it difficult to see past the nudity and focus on the content. “Leave You In Me” has been protested at film festivals and turned down by distributors.
“The same reason people like it is the same reason people have had problems with it – the nudity,” said Dutch. “I have had high level meetings with other distributers who love the movie, but are afraid that people won’t see the storytelling and art of it.”
Interestingly, criticism of the film centered more on the male nudity, rather than female.
“Some people look at is as sort of a stunt or are upset that there is male nudity in the movie. I have never thought it’s fair that a woman can be naked in a movie and the guy isn’t,” said Dutch. “It was protested at a film festival and they said “Do we really need movies like ‘Boogie Nights?’ ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ and ‘Bad Lieutenant?’ I’ll leave it up the readers what the common denominator of those three movies are. I don’t think they even realized it.”
“Leave You In Me” is available for 30 day streaming rental and DVD purchase at IndieFlix.
