The Bisexual
Desiree Akhavan & Rowan Riley
2018
Sex and Art
This British series portrays Leila, a 30-something Londoner (Desiree Akhavan herself) who leaves her girlfriend of 10 years, with whom she is in the process of setting up a business. Following her separation, she moves in with Gabe, a heterosexual writer. We follow Leila’s peregrinations and reflections as she gradually comes to terms with her bisexuality.
I love this show for its humor, its witty lines, its sex scenes, the characters’ imperfections and awkwardness, and its storyline, which offers a surprising perspective: for a lesbian in her thirties to assume her attraction to men while having built her relationship to the body and seduction around lesbian codes is a clearly original journey (inspired by the life of the director and lead actress, Desiree Akhavan).
The series deals with heteronormativity (with some funny and intelligent scenes), biphobia, whether it comes from straight people or lesbians. I also like the way the sex scenes are shot: they’re not unnecessarily romanticized or eroticized. they remind me of Cy’s comic strip “le vrai sexe de la vraie vie” (“the real sex of real life”), there are awkwardnesses, embarrassment, misunderstandings, frustration (for example, Leila asking her sexual partner after he’s come what he wants, and him replying that he’s hungry while she’s aroused and ready to take her pleasure) but also tenderness, laughter (for example, Leila’s surprise at the similarity of straight sex to lesbian sex) and joy. They’re not there to turn us on, but to help us discover the characters from other angles and move them forward on their journey. Iris