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'Taxicab Confessions' inspired brothers' new film

All roads lead to Las Vegas.

Some roads, however, lead from Las Vegas -- including the one filmmaking brothers Joe and Harry Gantz followed for their feature documentary "Sex With Strangers."

The documentary, which profiles three couples involved in the swingers' movement -- and explores how their sexual behavior affects their relationships -- opens today at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms. Joe Gantz will answer questions following tonight's screenings.

The inspiration for "Sex With Strangers" took root while the Gantz brothers were in Las Vegas shooting episodes for their long-running HBO series "Taxicab Confessions," which features passengers spilling their guts while riding in a cab equipped with a hidden camera.

Joe Gantz describes the HBO show as "a window into people's lives."

And when the "Confessions" taxicab picked up a couple at Las Vegas' Red Rooster Swinger's Club, a documentary was born.

"They seemed like an average couple," Joe recalls during a telephone interview from the brothers' Southern California headquarters. But when the couple began describing their swinger lifestyle, "their experiences were so over-the-top," it fascinated the Gantzes.

And got them thinking about a documentary on the subject.

Initially, the filmmakers "put our search very wide," Harry notes, with Internet advisories and mass mailings seeking participants in the title pursuit.

About a dozen couples made the first cut.

But "in a month to six weeks, we dropped most of those," Harry explains. "Some had an agenda or a Web site they wanted to promote. Others were inhibited by the cameras -- or playing to the cameras."

Eventually, three couples emerged as the documentary's focus. Veteran swingers James and Theresa take their show on the road, traveling from their Washington home to seek close encounters in their motor home. Oregonians Calvin and Sara, meanwhile, struggle to define the boundaries of their relationship -- especially when another woman, Julie, adds another angle to the sexual equation. Gerard and Shannon (who was sexually abused in her childhood) try swinging at the suggestion of their marriage counselor, hoping to preserve their marriage.

In choosing the central couples, the filmmakers considered "who would be the most open and honest about their lives," Harry explains. And the subjects they chose "gave us incredible access" during the filming, which lasted almost a year and generated more than 100 hours of footage, which they trimmed to 105 minutes.

"We won't work with someone unless they're very enthusiastic," adds Joe. "If you don't start off excited about the possibilities, you'll never make it through the time and effort."

The Gantz brothers established their cinema vérité style with their first project, 1985's "Couples Arguing," in which they focused on five couples' disagreements. (The participants contacted the Gantzes whenever an argument loomed, retreated to separate rooms until film crews arrived, then resumed fighting.)

And while "Sex With Strangers" definitely presents a more intimate view of personal interaction, the issues it explores aren't that extreme, both brothers contend.

As Joe notes, "Basically, we felt the issues -- issues of boundaries, issues of trust ..."

" ... Jealousy," Harry interjects.

"Those go on in all couples," Joe continues. In this particular documentary, "it happens more intensely, because you're bringing them into your home, into your bedroom."

And while "Sex With Strangers" does depict "the reality of sex on-screen," as Harry says, "it's mostly about how this is a lifestyle and a choice. We don't look at sex as something separate; it's an important part of people's lives."

To say nothing of a controversial one.

As a result of their participation in "Sex With Strangers," Sara, Shannon and Gerard lost their jobs. And the National Guard, where Theresa's been a pilot for 19 years, is "trying to give her a dishonorable discharge," Joe notes.

Despite the consequences, the participants have supported "Sex With Strangers," traveling to promote the documentary as it opens in various cities. (So far, the reception has been largely positive -- except in Monterey, Calif., where city officials banned a local theater operator from showing the movie in a city-owned theater.)

For their next project, the Gantzes focus on up-and-coming black comedians working at a club in South Central Los Angeles -- and how their comedy acts parallel their lives.

It may seem like a world far removed from the one they explore in "Sex With Strangers," but Harry isn't so sure.

"We're fascinated with how relationships work; the dynamics are so complex," he says. "Whatever you think about these people, these couples are doing what they think is going to make their relationship work. It's a noble pursuit. To us, it's a noble calling to try and make a relationship work. But we're not saying that swinging is the answer."

CAROL CLING
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Brothers Joe, left, and Harry Gantz filmed the documentary "Sex With Strangers."