Flesh

Thank you, Paul

written by

Aly Jay

Almost a year before Midnight Cowboy (and directly influenced by its production), Paul Morrissey crafted an unapologetically raw look at 1960s New York, fully embracing the freedom available now that the Hays Code had been replaced. The film is shot in that cinéma vérité style that makes you feel like you’re right there with him. Joe’s stuck in this cycle where he’s constantly distracted by sex and survival, never getting a real opportunity to grow as a person. And the environment he's in continues to enable this lifestyle. A scene that really stood out to me in capturing the major theme of the movie is when Joe is struggling to read a letter, and then gets completely sidetracked when a woman's breasts are placed directly on his face. His focus shifts to one thing (well, two things actually). The film has these earnest moments of realism, like when Joe gets a pimple popped by another man. That's reality. Flesh reminded me a lot of some of my favorite filmmakers like Sean Baker, the Safdie Brothers, Lars von Trier, and John Waters (both Baker and Waters have explicitly mentioned Morrissey as an inspiration). I'm glad I was able to find these on DVD. I'm loving Paul Morrissey's style. RIP to a truly unique cinematic voice