Let's talk about sex: Josh Lawson plays the desperate-to-please Paul and alongside Bojana Novakovic in The Little Death.
Filmmaker Josh Lawson breaks the final taboo in sex comedy The Little Death
September 25, 2014
Sarah Thomas, Entertainment writer
When is rape funny? When it's not actually rape, but a rape fantasy, apparently.
That, to filmmaker Josh Lawson, is the key to the most polarising aspect of his new comedy, The Little Death.
"When you think about this film, keep in mind what never happens, what actually never happens, what is only talked about," Lawson says.
His debut feature as a writer-director delves into the world of sexual fetishes from the safety of a very suburban middle-class setting. In delicately interwoven tales, the film tackles a variety of special interests, the most hazardous of which to negotiate is the idea of a rape fantasy, which is what Lawson's character, Paul, is asked to fulfil by his partner Maeve (Bojana Novakovic).
"I know for a fact rape fantasy is an extremely common fantasy and deserves to be explored in any film or television [context]," Lawson says. "I absolutely understand the sensitivities of the subject and I approached it in a very sensitive way. I believe that the character's intentions are extremely good. He only wants to please her and she's being honest."
It's tricky territory, and among the more timid phone-sex and role-playing escapades depicted, the rape fantasy scenes are jarring in their violent realism.
Lawson, however, says his aim was to depict truthfulness in relationships.
"I guess what I explore is at what point can you say in a relationship, 'These are my deepest, darkest secrets and I love you enough to tell you ... I didn't choose to have this fantasy, I didn't train myself to have it, I just have it. For whatever reason, I like it and I don't know why, I just do.'
"And that's what a fantasy is, that's what a fetish is. You know, drama is life with the boring bits cut out, so I wrote this, exploring that idea with two people who love each other very much, candid discussions go on, and yes, it gets out of control.
"You just have to remind yourself at the end what does happen and what doesn't happen, and I think that's important."
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