It was clear with "Come Undone" that Sebastian Lifshitz is a director very much worth watching. "Wild Side", despite its shortcomings, reaffirms his rare talents. His forte is in creating pensive, moody pieces, with a powerful and moving realism. This he does with great precision utilizing light and camera with far greater care than we have become used to. There is a sense of an artist at work. Added to this, he has an astonishing gift for evoking extremely moving and convincing performances from his actors.
The problem with "Wild Side" is that it is devoid of plot and has almost no character development. The mood is what keeps the viewer captivated. While this in itself is not unrewarding, a stronger storyline would certainly have added much. The film terminates suddenly and unexpectedly, usually signifying a lack of inner logic. It could have ended at any point with the same result.
The disparate trio of transsexual, bisexual hustler and Russian immigrant is observed in a totally non judgemental manner and with genuine compassion. This is the films true strength. While flashbacks furnish very sparse information about the transsexual's childhood, almost nothing of the remaining protagonist's backgrounds is revealed. Lifshtz's aim is not to try to understand these social outcasts and their aberrant behaviours but rather to connect us with them on a human level that goes beyond definition of gender are race.
