Matty spoons with maverick auteur Serge Rodnunsky’s second flick.

The legend:

Written, produced by, directed by, and — a la Bold Stroke (1990) — starring Serge Rodnunsky.  

Rodnunsky’s sophomore flick, LIFE AFTER SEX finds the auteur playing the role of Steve Rollins: a character who, in another Bold Stroke holdover, is basically another version of the multi-disciplined B-movie maverick, right down to having the same initials. A filmmaker, Rollins is crafting his masterpiece, an experimental docu-drama about love, lust and commitment (“An exploration into myself and the people I know” he says in the opening narration). His interviewees include legendary pothead Tommy Chong, The Sword and the Sorcerer’s (1982) Kathleen Beller, and several other friends and family members of the fictional helmer’s real-life counterpart. During a casting session for the scripted portion of his movie, Rollins meets leggy blonde Shannon (Lane Lenhart, Prototype (1992)) and is immediately smitten. The attraction is mutual and the rest of Life After Sex — or, as it’s styled on screen, “Life After Sex” — is devoted to the trials and tribulations of their relationship. 

In true Rodnunsky fashion, Life After Sex is anchored by his signature theme:

Rollins and Shannon are both looking for something.

The former, a relationship as breezy and uncommitted as he is; the latter, a partner as dedicated to her as she would be to them.

Though the pair initially appear quite fanciful — and in the case of Rollins, even unbearably pompous — they’re fundamentally warm and likable. They boast many relatable qualities, good and bad, and they come across as real and authentic against the story’s performance art/café culture backdrop. 

While shamelessly indulgent and wholly derivative of just about any combination of Woody Allen’s classic ‘70s rom-coms, Life After Sex elicits enough chuckles of its own, and features several nice exchanges and highly quotable lines (“There’s a million reasons to avoid her: she’s an actress!”). Technically speaking, the film is leaps and bounds ahead of Bold Stroke. Lensed by Maximo Munzi — who earned his cult stripes as the cinematographer of the much-loved Miami Connection (1987) — Life After Sex sports a conventionally cinematic sheen. However, it’s still somewhat slipshod editorially, and one of Rodnunsky’s more taxing hallmarks — his bizarre sense of pace — is amplified by the freewheelin’ structure of his amblin’ narrative. It’s also a little disturbing how Rodnunsky necks off with Lenhart. The mulleted Lothario’s chin-sucking kiss style is more Cronenbergian body horror than anything particularly romantic or sensual. Bulldogs slobber less. 

But hey, such things are all part of the Rodnunsky charm. On the whole, Life After Sex is an enjoyable lark, and an honest probing of two people trying to figure themselves out. 

Picked up for distribution by Curb/Esquire Entertainment – a film production outfit owned and operated by record company exec and former Lieutenant Governor of California, Mike Curb – Life After Sex failed to materialise on U.S. or U.K. video but surfaced on tape in Brazil, Italy, and Canada, and has since intermittently appeared on various streaming platforms. Career-wise, the film’s Curb/Esquire acquisition proved instrumental in connecting Rodnunsky with a future collaborator, David A. Jackson. At the time of Life After Sex’s making, Jackson was Curb/Esquire’s president. Post Life After Sex, Rodnunsky and Jackson teamed on Rage of Vengeance (1993), Powderburn (1995), Dead Tides (1997), and Cold Light into Dawn (1997) among others, generally via Jackson’s shingle, Showcase Entertainment. 

USA ● Comedy, Drama, Romance ● 83mins

Serge Rodnunsky, Lane Lenhart ● Wri./Dir. Serge Rodnunsky