Search - If These Walls Could Talk 2 on DVD

A must film for your lesbian collection

Sheila Fox | San Diego, CA United States | 02/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This HBO movie should have been a theatrical release. There would have been nothing better than to see these characters on the big screen. All the other reviews give you a synopsis of the plot, so I'll talk about what made this film so great.
Each segment had a thoughtful and detailed script, superbly executed by the actors and the directors. Vanessa Redgrave has never been better, as a woman who loses her life partner. But it's the little historical details that caught my attention. Like Vanessa and her partner waklking home from the movies with 3 feet between them, least anyone suspect they are anything more than friends. And before the newphew and family come to the the house she rearranges the bedroom to make it appear like they are nothing more than roomates.
The second segement, with Chloe Sevigny and Michelle Williams seems to be alot of peoples's favorite, and for good reason. These two have remarkable on screen chemistry together. So much of the sexual tension was delivered though looks. When they looked at each other (and they did it quite often) it spoke volumns. The love making scene is so intimate and real there's no response but silence. Again there are couple of little details here which make me like the film even more. When Sevigny's butch character takes off her shirt her breasts are tightly wrapped, a common thing to do in the historical butch community. Also, when William's character tries to undress Sevigny, she gently but firmly takes Williams hands away from her belt twice, and tells Williams to "just relax" letting the audience know that she will be the assertive partner here. That is yet another subtle detail in the sexual history of the butch/fem culture.
And before I move on from this segment I have to comment about how striking Sevigny is as this young butch. I was quite taken by her, and not just by how adorable she looked with her motorcycle jacket and tee-shirts and puppydog blue eyes, although that was definitely a highlight to this film. But after seeing her play sort of a fem opposite Hillay Swank in Boy's Don't Cry, I was impressed by her ability to play the flip side of the coin, with some real sensitivity. She did not take this character over the top, but rather gave us an insightful portrayal of a masculine young woman living on the edge of her own community. My question is, how in the world could she makeout with both Hillary Swank and Michelle Williams, and still not be batting for the other team? Ah well.
As for the last segment, with Ellen Degeneres and Sharon Stone, a lesbian couple trying to have a baby, all I have to say is that I just enjoyed watching this. Some people complain that Ellen was just her character from her former sit-com put in a new situation. My response to that is, so what. That's exactly what makes her so funny. And what a great lesbian fantasy, to have Sharon Stone for your girlfriend, it doesn't get any better that.
With so much going for it, this film will definitley become one of the classics for our culture. I just hope I don't spend too much money wearing out copy after copy after copy."