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than like mouthpieces for certain lines
representing Siegel's ideas. This is partic-
ularly true in a segment toward the end
of the movie when Lia chats with a
friend who confesses, in lurid detail, to
an anonymous sexual encounter that left
her feeling empowered. Presumably, the
encounter is supposed to offer some sort
of parallel to the patient-therapist rela-
tionship, but we know so little about the
players that it has little resonance.
Far more compelling are the three
real-life psychoanalysts who Siegel inter-
views throughout the movie. The ana-
lysts are refreshingly honest and articu-
late about their experiences, and they
confess to plenty of not-so-politically-
correct thoughts, such as lusting after
female patients. But here, also, the
movie doesn't live up to its potential.
As an interviewer, Siegel seems more
interested in putting her subjects on the
spot and impressing them with how
smart she is than in learning anything
from their answers. How is one sup-
posed to answer an antagonistic question
like "What's the difference between psy-
choanalysis and prostitution?"
Ultimately, what feels most perplexing
in a movie about a practice based on the
quest for self-understanding is how little
introspection there appears to be on the
part of the filmmaker.

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Perhaps we have been spoiled recently
by documentary-makers like Michael
Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11) and Morgan
Spurlock (Super Size Me) who bring
their personalities into their films. But it
feels odd to watch a film about such a
personal subject as psychoanalysis and
never get even a hint from the filmmak-
er about her own motives and goals.
Near the end of the film, Siegel does
reveal herself (until then she's simply
been a voice off-camera), and one of her
analyst subjects actually turns the tables
on her, asking her how the interviews
made her feel about her own experiences
in therapy.
But Siegel is quick to deny, insisting
that the movie stems purely from her
intellectual interests and that there is no
connection between her own experiences
and the movie.
Yes, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,
but I found myself wishing Siegel had
mined her subconscious a little more.
Perhaps it would have led to a richer,
deeper, more focused movie instead of
one that, for the most part, jumps all over
the place and rarely lands anywhere. ❑

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Filmmaker Amie Siegel with the Eames chair

"There's a lot of discussion about the
topic, but it doesn't go back to the per-
petrators in one's own family," she said.
Last summer — despite warnings that
it would be unsafe — she traveled to
Israel for a weeklong film festival, and

was struck by the sudden transition •
from being part of a tiny, exotic minori-
ty to having Jews everywhere. -
"It was kind of heartening," she said,
noting that a section of her upcoming
film will be shot there. ❑

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