Entertainment, enlightenment, it's all On_Line

The Internet has revolutionized communications, making realtime exchanges possible over vast distances, bringing shopping malls into people's homes, letting people get college degrees from their bedroom, and setting the stage for Jed Weintrob's On_Line, a film he calls "a modern romance" about "lonely people trying to connect, but without ever leaving their apartment."

Using innovative split screen techniques, Weintrob has created a dialog between almost-too-real characters that carries the viewer from one tangled and tortured relationship to another, interspersed with near-pornographic scenes of masturbation. The premise for all of this is that the main characters, John Roth (Josh Hamilton) and Moe Curley (Harold Perrineau), host a streaming porn site called Intercon-X, where the many plot lines become heavily intertwined.

Although superficial and overly erotic on the surface, On_Line actually does tell a moving story of relationships in today's world, where love and sex have become almost mutually exclusive, and people feel so lost and alone that they post their lives online for all the world to see. With phenomenal acting enhanced by the use of realtime conversations (not a common Hollywood practice), realistic characters, and the familiar computer screen look (for OS X users, anyway), On_Line keeps you on the verge of tears at points, because you know these people. They live next door, they're in classes with you, they go to the same Starbucks.

The movie is far from a tragedy, however. Its true tone is voiced in the line delivered by one of the characters: "I am so pathetic; it's amusing, really." There is a competing duality between what is real and what is not: cybersex v. a viable couple, romantic interest v. compatibility, love v. lust. The philosophic angle of the movie, at times a sobering social commentary, allows it to be distant enough not to have a startling impact. At the end, the duality still exists, and nothing has been explained. The film only ends because the plot has been resolved--in a thankfully unpredictable way.

Depth aside, the movie does have several sexual scenes, abundant drug use, and a small amount of violence. It features homosexuality. It is frank and honest without being judgmental. While some may find this offensive, others will appreciate On_Line's blunt message.

On_Line is rated R and is currently playing at Visions Cinema/Bistro/Lounge 1927 Florida Ave NW. For show times and more information about Visions, visit www.visionsdc.com or call (202) 667-0090.