Lianna

"Lillian Griffiths eats pussy," Lianna (Linda Griffiths) says to herself in a mirror one morning after the departure of her overnight guest, a woman she met in a lesbian bar.  It is with surprise as much as anything else.  Not so long ago, she was a stay at home mother and wife of a college professor, living out the days with ennui and dread.  Her husband Dick (Jon DeVries) likes to dally with his students.  He's also an insufferable ass.  So Lianna's attraction to her night school instructor wasn't necessarily completely unforeseen.

The bond begins with friendship, then a realization of connection.  A dinner at Ruth's (Jane Halleren) place becomes intimate.  Lianna is ready to leave her family and live with her new love.  But of course, the consequences of such choices are necessarily unforeseen.  Especially when that new love turns out to have her own relational issues and flaws.  And secrets.

Writer/director John Sayles portrays this story with an expected intelligence and sensitivity.  Honesty, too.  You might guess how Lianna's children would respond to her departure, her newly revealed sexual preferences.  How her best friend might feel.  And her spouse, a professor of film and media, who only shows a trace of sadness, but seems more amused, though arguably this may simply be a coping mechanism.  How this story develops goes far beyond the T.V. Movie of the Week (as they were known), though regrettably the low budget does make 1983's LIANNA feel like one at times.

Sayles' film plays like a highly perceptive short story or novella, with nicely drawn characters who rarely come off as caricatured or "written."  Lianna is naive but spunky, gradually maturing as she accepts her new life, one that turns out quite differently than expected.  The actors, including Sayles as Dick's colleague at the University, are quite natural in their roles.  So refreshing to spend time with literate folks, even when we chide them for their obvious mistakes.  So easy for us, in the peanut gallery.  But maybe some of you, invisible audience, have been there.

The film was certainly ahead of its time for its subject matter.  Many cite DESERT HEARTS as a groundbreaker but LIANNA predates it by two years, and in my opinion is the better film.  I have to cite a few unfortunate artistic choices, including the whispered French on the soundtrack during a sex scene, and a cheesy theme song called "Nevertheless", which is played at least three times.  But overall this film is well worth your two hours, whether you're a Sayles completist or someone seeking something that treats homosexuals as humans rather than oddities.