简介：Toldinthreeparts,PatrickCarpenter’s“TheIrregularityofthetearing”isathreepartcine-diaryonintimacy,sensualityanddesire.Partone,“GodisaDog”(2004)isshotonSuper8andconfrontsthefilmmakersremembrancesofchildhoodmemoriesandhowtheyinteractwithhisadultloveencounters.Sectiontwo,“Les9mardis”(The9Tuesdays)(2005)dealswiththeabsurdityofthepassageoftime.Timethatreopensandclosespastwounds,timetheprovidesthecouragetocontinue. Thefinalinstallmentistheawardwinning“Combat”(2006).Thetaleoftwoyoungmenbothdeeplyinlovewhocanonlyexpresstheirfeelingsthroughactsofphysicalviolencecommitteduponeachother.Fullmoonsandlushforestsframethisdeeplyfeltandmovinglovestorybetweentwobeautiful,youthfulmen.Initsentirety,“Combat”leavestheviewerwithasenseofwonderandawewhilecontemplatingthetruemeaningoflove. --- REVIEW Oneofthemostintriguingaspectsofgaymalesexuality--andtheoneexploredhere--istheabsenceand/orreplacementoftheiconicdominant-submissiverelationshipourculturehasgottensousedto.Combatoffersacoupleofinterestingobservationsonthesubject:masochismisinstilledearlyhomosexualdevelopment(asenseofinferiorityandfearisstampedontheleadcharacterfromage14whenheisbeatenupbyacouplekids&toldbyhismotherthatheshouldhavefoughtback),andthatpainelevatedtoaformofsexualarousalsimultaneouslyservesasasourceofindulgenceandpenitence(whiletheyhavereplacedgenitalarousalwithbodilydamage&seemtoenjoyit,theyoungercharacterassertsattheend:"Ifeelgoodwithyou.Imean,notguilty."It'ssimultaneouslyastatementaboutloveconqueringadeep-seededhomosexualguiltcomplexandaconfessionthatthisviolence,whichhisloverreferstoas"punishment,"isasoul-cleansingact.) Themovieisoccasionallybeautiful(theirskininthemorninglightmakesthemlooklikecorpses,whichisthematicallycompelling),occasionallygharish(theredstormcloudshavegottogo),andoccasionallyclichéd(thedirector'suseofhand-heldcamerastoincreasethe"visceral"qualityofitsmoreviolentscenesissomethingoutofafreshmanfilmclass). Nevertheless,theseobservationsaside,Ihaveamajorcomplaint:sincethemoviehasnointerestincharacterandexaminesitsparticularbreedofsexualitythroughpeoplewhoarenomorethan"types,"itisimpossibletobecomeemotionallyinvolved.ThatisnotusuallysomethingIcareabout,butthedirectorclearlyWANTSustobeemotionallyinvolved:theagonizinglyseriousvoice-overisWAYoverthetop. --NoelleReilly…