Drawing Restraint 9

Just saw Drawing Restraint 9 and here's what I think:

Matthew Barney naked: hot. Björk naked: not so hot.

Actually, I really enjoyed DR9, despite the fact that it's a two and a half hour art film without much of a plot or dialogue. Björk and Barney are guests on a Japanese whaling ship, and...well, that's about it. The rest is just visual. I'm sure there are significant themes here that I'm totally missing. Some of the reviews I've read say the film is an exploration of Japanese culture; the official site says something about "self-imposed resistance and creativity." Whatever. There are definitely some stunning images in the second half - the guests calmly hacking each other up with knives under water is pretty intensely erotic - if you can make it through the first hour without nodding off.

Björk's soundtrack blows Barney's art installation smegma out of the water, though. Her sonic landscapes are just so much more vivid and evocative and emotional than any of his pretty little seashell bowls and giant gelatin sculptures. It's funny to me that these two are actually lovers in real life. His stuff is so cold and restrained, while hers is a vital vibrant cacophony.