The old saying goes that we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. But what happens when we are offered a peek? In the new documentary film Bloom Up: A Swinger Couple Story, filmmaker Mauro Russo Rouge gives viewers more than just a peek of what goes on in the lives of real-life couple, Hermes and Betta. In their working lives, they own a pet supply and grooming business. But in their personal lives, they are swingers who regularly meet with other partners and couples to explore and satisfy their sexual needs. Rogue and his camera become a silent voyeur to these visceral encounters in this intimate doc.
Bloom Up is beautifully shot. The colors and the composition of the film set the tone for its different settings. When we are with Hermes and Betta in their pet store, things are more monotonal and flat. Yet when we see them at home, things are a bit more neutral and fresh. But when Rogue shoots them during their sexual encounters, the colors are rich and warm with sparkles and pops of color. They make you want to be as up close and personal as the camera is in these scenes. The story is told through these style choices just as much as it is told by the action.
And of course, in a film about swingers, there is going to be sex. The sex is real, but not graphic. Bloom Up is not a pornography disguised as an art film. It is a personal look at the juxtaposition of the couple’s quotidian routine against their extraordinary and non-traditional personal life. But Rogue has not made a film that is trying to sell folks on the swingers lifestyle; he is telling Hermes’ and Betta’s story. A story that we learn is not just full of exciting pleasurable escapades, but also complex and painful relationship dynamics as well. The film begins and ends with Rogue interviewing the couple since the filming has completed.
This film is not going to be for everyone. While I enjoyed it, there were times where I felt like I was seeing something that I shouldn’t. But I don’t think that feeling was by accident. I feel like Rogue wants us to be challenged with the invasion of intimacy as well as our own notions about sex and sexuality within the confines of a relationship. And for some viewers, those challenges will just prove to be too much.
Bloom Up: A Swinger Couple Story has a runtime of 1 hour, 28 minutes, is not rated, and is available now on DVD and Blu-ray, and to stream on Vudu and Apple TV.
