Brunswick Underground Film Fest 2025 Review - The Lost Sex Films of King’s Cross
If I had to confine the description of The Lost Sex Films of King’s Cross into one word, the only appropriate adjective would be hedonistic. In this series of short films created by married couple Charis and George Shwarz, each film details a clear appreciation for sexual expression. They find the balance between humour, intimacy and desire to capture a small sliver of life in King’s Cross during the 70’s.
The first film I watched was Sex Aids and How to Use Them which was made in 1974 and was the first hardcore sex film to pass Australian censors. One of the most interesting aspects of the film was witnessing the true mastery of how the Schwarz’s utilised lighting, shadows and cuts to scrape through with the classification pass. The set is reminiscent of a Baroque painting and the story was essentially a sexually explicit science experiment. However, it is beautifully shot. Certainly, a hypnotic film that uses kaleidoscopic, shaky and bursting imagery to build the tension and release in waves as if you’re in the room with the actors. Sex Aids and How to Use Them is considerably more educational than the other shorts but does not sacrifice raunchiness for that sake.
The next short was Well, My Dear!, one of the last films shot by the couple in 1975. It was not as lucky as its predecessor and was rejected very quickly by censors despite attempting to take the ‘educational’ approach for having a healthy marriage. The incorporation of the set, faeries and the lavish nature of the story drew connections to the unadulterated madness of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is a decadent and humourous exposition on marital affairs and enjoying the company of your spouse. However, it is essentially 45 mins of dizzying shots and inexplicable dialogue from a horse that creeps towards a repetitive narrative. This type of film is not for the easily offended and most definitely for fans of outlandish erotic cinema. Well, My Dear! is a playful and unabashed celebration of seeking pleasure within marriage, wrapped in a slightly perplexing yet entertaining cinematic experience.
The final film from this collection was Stage (1972), which was a lot less flamboyant than their later works. Stage offers a glimpse into the hidden world of strip clubs in King’s Cross. Though it covers themes of abandonment and grief, this short stands as a small appreciation for the district that inspired the Schwarz’s exploration into erotic cinema. The dancers are never exploited, and honestly portrayed in a way that stands apart from common narratives at the time of its conception. It follows the cycle of life within King’s Cross, which at the time was notorious for being seedy, bohemian and one of Sydney’s ‘red-light districts’. This film was more interested in preserving the lives from this community over explicit scenes and stands as a clear testimony to the couple’s appreciation of King’s Cross.
The restoration of Charis and George Schwarz’s work is a wonderful reclamation of a peculiar piece of Australian cinematic history. The pair handle eroticism with care and obvious admiration for the art of cinema and sex. In their own words “all and nothing is sacred in sex”, and that shows throughout their work.
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The Lost Sex Films of King’s Cross screened as part of Brunswick Underground Film Festival, with an encore screening coming up on the 28th of June. Check out the festival website for more info here.