ReelBob: ‘Lust Life Love’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
Despite all the love and sex that runs through “Lust Life Love,” this is not a happy, romantic movie.
The movie chronicles the life of Veronica (Stephanie Sellars, who also wrote and co-directed the film). She is a bisexual polyamorist who writes a blog about her life.
She attends sex parties and, though in a relationship with her primary partner, Joanne (Jeanna Han), still engages with other partners.
She and Joanne break up, and Veronica begins an affair with Daniel (Jake Choi), a married man who is monogamous.
Veronica is a fictionalized version of Sellars who, more than a decade ago, wrote and sex and relationship column for the alternative weekly “New York Press.”
Like all new romances, Veronica and Daniel are glowing. She slowly begins introducing him to her world. At first, he is awkward and uncomfortable, content to simply observe.
But as he and Veronica grow closer — and his marriage ends — he begins tipping his toes into the world. He slowly goes deeper and deeper, becoming an active participant at the various parties they attend.
To her credit, Sellars does not shy away from the emotional toll and complications of Veronica’s lifestyle. Veronica begins falling in love with Daniel, becoming jealous — though she refuses to admit it — of the time he is spending with Maya (Makeda Declet), the third person in their “triad,” as Veronica describes it.
“Lust Life Love” makes it clear that a polyamorous lifestyle can be as messy and difficult as a monogamous one.
The film is not shy in depicting sex, but it is not done in a titillating nor exploitative manner.
The movie is an exploration of contemporary relationships and how they are not defined by gender or numbers. It is unapologetic and positive — to a point.
As a blogger, Veronica has romanticized her lifestyle, but as her relationship with Daniel grows — and eventually changes — real world emotions and issues conflict change perspectives.
Veronica admits that she “still has a romantic view of love,” realizing that sometimes her way of life and her views conflict.
“Polyamory is just as fucked up as monogamy,” she says.
“Lust Life Love” ends on a melancholy note. Still, it is an interesting window into a world I would guess the vast majority of us are unfamiliar with and would be too uncomfortable and frightened to even explore.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap substack and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.
LUST LIFE LOVE
3 stars out of 4
Not rated, nudity, sexual content, language