What with the latest tendency of directors of making real-life movies and with the prior attempts (Catherine Breillat's 'Romance', 1999, and Michael Winterbottom's '9 Songs', 2004), it's no surprise that director John Cameron Mitchell also made a sex film in which the cast engages in real sex in front of the camera.

What is truly surprising though is that, unlike its predecessors, 'Shortbus' can boast of depth, warmth and human feeling. That, and a terrible sense of loss that prevails until the very end of the 101 minutes of runtime. Basically, the movie, called by its very director a 'sex project' that has been gestating for almost three years, revolves around the story of a couple of youngsters, fully grown individuals who try to explore the thin line that usually separates love from carnality.

In 'Shortbus', one has everything: boy and girl, boy and boy, girl and girl and all the possible ramifications that could stem from here. But do not jump and feel offended by the idea of being offered another 'Ken Park', because 'Shortbus' is not just about having mindless sex. It's about finding your true self in a world were things crumble apart and traditional boundaries are blurred.

One thing that would warrant your attention for this movie, besides that the sex scenes are as real as they could get, is the fact that it's also true to life. The director put the script down after talking to the members of the cast (all unknowns, normal people with regular jobs) and the story that followed was a mix of real events (sexual encounters narrated by the actors) and fictionalized ones.

To conclude, it's sex but it's not porn. The usually tight-lipped audience at the Cannes Film Festival thought the same, when it premiered a couple of months ago. Also, the fact that it will run unrated will not affect its distribution, as ThinkFilm has already secured 40 major markets in the US.

Click here to see a very short trailer of 'Shorbus' and make sure you leave your prejudices aside before going to see this one.