Slaves to the Underground

REVIEW
Three young and attractive hipsters (two women and a man) are caught in a love triangle in this less-than-satisfactory drama. While the story -- the chasm between the sexes set among a group of idealistic slackers -- is promising, the director’s approach to lesbianism is troubling. Riot grrrl Suzy (Marisa Ryan) is a proudly butch dyke who takes a liking to Shelly, a bland blonde bisexual gal. Set in Seattle amidst the Gen Ex rock scene, the film flounders as it focuses on Shelly’s fluctuating interest in Suzy and her on-and-off boyfriend. Bisexuality has never looked so uninteresting while lesbianism has never looked so threatening for men. For Suzy is seen as a rage-filled, man-hating and man-abusive woman who is seen ridiculing a clerk, beating up a suspected rapist of her girlfriend and kneeing in the groin the current boyfriend of her ex. She is violently jealous and, at times manic. A vivid portrait but not a lesbian I’d like to take home to mom and (especially) dad.