ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies.

ALFRED KINSEY taught America about sex. His bestselling behavioural studies in the 1940s dragged the country out of the dark ages towards a more sophisticated understanding of human sexuality. It is his  life and pioneering achievements that provide the basis of this intelligent, immaculately crafted biography from Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning creator of Gods And Monsters.

A thought-provoking lesson in social history, Kinsey also works on a human level as Kinsey’s  personal experiences are all intimately related to his scientific studies. Raised by a strict Methodist father, Kinsey (Liam Neeson) eventually rebels by defying his father to study biology. A rather remote and academic figure, he shyly embarks on a relationship with student Clara (Laura Linney) who becomes his wife.
 
It is their painful first attempt to consummate the marriage that compels them to seek specialist help. It is only then that Kinsey realises their ignorance is shared by many. It is the moment that ultimately inspires him to establish the Institute for Sexual Research.
  
A revolutionary in some eyes, Kinsey was seen as undermining the very fabric of decent society by others. The film offers a rich, multilayered portrait of the man and has a distinct contemporary resonance in the challenge it sets up to repressive, conservative groups.
  
In his best performance since Schindler’s List, Liam Neeson captures all the emotional complexity of a man driven by his work and vulnerable in his private life. He is surrounded by wonderful actors, including the Oscar-nominated Laura Linney, Peter Sarsgaard as his assistant, and Lynn Redgrave, who has one superb scene. The result is richly satisfying and likely to stand as one of the best American films of the year.

KINSEY
General release, selected cinemas
Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Bill Condon
Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris O’Donnell
Certificate: 15
Running time: 118 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2004
 

© Allan Hunter, 2005