Sex, lies, and videotape

Out now / CERT 15 / 100 mins

Steven Soderbergh won the Palme d’or aged 25 for this and while that induces a sense of defeat, self-loathing and envy in anyone who wants to make their own movies, Sex, Lies, And Videotape also remains an inspiration for how it takes small, intimate moments and makes them cinematic. You could argue that everything from Clerks to Dogme 95 to Mumblecore has their seed in this exploration of infidelity, friendship and anxiety, which remains bracing, bold and slyly funny, nearly 30 years on. For a director who some see as reserved — making films that rely on icy wit and intellect rather than emotion — Soderbergh isn’t half honest here. the story’s catalyst — an oddball outsider with a videocamera (James Spader) — is transparently a vehicle for his own reflections on his potential failings as a man, as someone who observes rather than embraces. No wonder filmmakers love it.