Happy ending with a touch of creepy

(spoiler of creepy stuff)

I recently saw ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW. And I've been debating whether or not to write about it. I was kind of creeped out.

Written, directed, and starring the blue-eyed Miranda July, it's a story of an artist, Christine, who makes ends meet by driving the elderly around ("Eldercab"). She meets Richard (an excellent John Hawkes - wish I had HBO so I could watch Deadwood), a shoe salesman and single parent of two boys, and attempts to will him to her throughout the film. A good story, well told, and with good character development.

However, what totally creeped me out was the "strong sexual content involving children" (as described by the rating police). I felt a bit like I was watching Law and Order: SVU - between the two girls experimenting on the older brother (I'll leave it at that) and the younger brother being pursued by a potential Internet predator - it was a bit much.

Perhaps that was July's point - and I know it's reality, and I also realize that the two storylines with the boys underline the theme of intimacy / yearning for intimacy in the film - but the creepiness of these storylines almost eclipsed my enjoyment in watching the film. Did it have to be that extreme? Is it okay to depict children in these over sexualized situations? Am I being too prudish, or was this the point? (Note - I was also creeped out when I saw the ICE STORM for the same reason - perhaps it's me.)

Nevertheless, there are a lot of funny moments in this movie, and it does have a happy ending. I swear. And hurrah for a female director, something that we've discussed on this blog before.