Trust: It Can Get You Wet

Jennifer:

Photo courtesy of impawards.com

Corky: You fuck them, you better do it right. Let’s just say for a moment I believe everything you are saying.

Violet: You think I’m lying?

Corky: I didn’t say that. But since you did, let’s say you are. It would have been easy for you to set up Shelly. You could have had him killed knowing that Caesar would bring the money back to the apartment. All you would need to keep yourself clean is someone unconnected. Someone like me.

Violet: Is that what you think?

Corky: I’m just making a point. You have no idea what you’re asking…how much trust it takes two people to do something like this. For me, stealing has always been a lot like sex. Two people who want the same thing. They get in a room, they talk about it. They start to plan. It’s kind of like flirting. It’s kind of like foreplay. Because the more they talk about it, the wetter they get. The only difference is, I can fuck someone I’ve just met. But to steal, I need to know someone like I know myself.

Violet: You think you know me like that?

Corky: I wanna see the money.

Sweating yet? Andy Wachowski’s Bound will certainly make you all hot and bothered. Good luck trying to control your heart rate! It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, straight or queer, or anything in between. This film about two women who must trust each other enough to put their lives in the hands of the other will surely grab your attention.

When I was not absorbed in my jealousy of Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and obsessing over Corky (Gina Gershon), I was able to take a closer look at the interesting dynamic between Violet and Corky. Their relationship is centered around the world of the Italian mob. We watch as they try to get one over on the egotistical men by robbing $2 million from right under their noses. We root for them each step of the way, even when it appears as if the plan is about to come crashing down. It is particularly noteworthy that Ceasar, Violet’s boyfriend, finds Corky and “her kind” untrustworthy. It is clear that Wachowski is trying to portray the once common misconception that lesbians, especially ones that resemble the butch Corky, can’t be trusted.

In Wachowski’s depiction of a butch-femme relationship, he draws attention to the idea that the femme is usually the one in question. As shown in the dialogue above, Corky questions Violet’s trustworthiness and loyalty. Will she really follow through with the plan? Will she leave Corky in the hands of the ruthless mafia? After this is all over, will she return to her boyfriend? In this way, Bound is unlike most other lesbian movies. Both women survive! Not only do they survive, but their relationship survives! This is why the film is so appreciated by the lesbian community. 

According to Sarah Warn’s review of Bound on AfterEllen.com, “The relationship between the two women is the only honest one in the film, in which almost everyone's relationships are built on lies and deceit; it's also the only relationship between equals.” In my opinion, that in itself makes watching the development of their whole relationship so incredibly sexy. Trust is sexy!

I know what you’re thinking. But what about the sex scenes? Although I found the scenes where their clothes were actually on much more memorable (the dialogue above), the sex scenes definitely make you want to take your clothes off. Susie Bright, the well-known sex expert, choreographed these scenes to be as authentic as possible. She actually based them on her own lesbian relationship. Everyone agrees she did a remarkable job in bringing certain ideas across to the audience. Take a look at the scene in Violet’s apartment. Who is really in charge? Who surrenders herself first? The tough, tattooed Corky or the glamorous Violet? You might be surprised.