I just got off the Shortbus, John Cameron Mitchell’s latest film, here at the Toronto International Film Festival. “So you here to see the art-porn movie?” a fellow reviewer greeted me. What, no “good morning”?

We were lucky to get seats—the line to get into the press screening far exceeded the capacity of the theater. I’ve tried to read as little about the film as possible since it debuted at Cannes this past spring (it’s also gotten some play right here on the Slog). My first impressions: It’s got a lot of heart, humor, and sadness. That may not be quite what the people have been clamoring for, but there you have it.

The big panty knot up here in Canada is Sook-Yin Lee, a CBC Radio host who plays a pent-up couple’s therapist—she nearly lost her public radio job for playing a role that has her (really) doin’ it like a break dancer with her onscreen hubby, writhing on the bathroom floor with a dildo, and slapping her twat in a desensitization tank. She’s not the only one worth noting, though. Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy play a struggling couple who invite a young man (Jay Brannan) into their lair for a three-way while a secret voyeur (Peter Stickles) looks on through a telephoto lens. I won’t give too much away, as I hear Shortbus is going to make a stop in Seattle near the end of October. I will say this though: There is a lot of cock. There’s some vag too. And some dominatrixing. And masturbation. And cunnilingus. And fellatio…

—Shannon Gee @ TIFF