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The loss of sexual innocence

Threat advisory: Under evaluation

Movie propaganda

, directed by Mike Figgis, is a beautiful, richly textured film of interconnected short stories concerning the events of one man's life and paralleling them with the classic story of the fall from grace of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Told in a non-linear structure, The loss of sexual innocence is the story of Nic, told through the crucial, sometimes humorous and often heart-breaking episodes of his life. As the film weaves its vivid, hypnotic narrative, we catch glimpses of what makes Nic the man that he is, tracing incidents that happen to him as a 5-year-old boy (John Cowey), as a 12-year-old adolescent (George Moktar), as a 16-year-old teenager (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) and as a fully grown man (Julian Sands).

Cross-cut with the tale of Nic is the classic parable of Adam (Femi Ogumbanjo) and Eve (Hanne Klintoe), which serves as an allegory to the events of Nic's life and, the two tales intertwined, ultimately serves as a powerful summation of the loss of innocence of not just Nic, but of the humanity of our species.

Bold, visually striking images, combined with a sonorous musical soundtrack composed and recorded by Mr Figgis make for a deeply moving, visually exhilarating piece of filmmaking that grows increasingly powerful with each viewing.

Also starring Saffron Burrows as Twins, Stefano Dionisi as Lucca, Kelly Macdonald as Susan, Gina McKee as Susan's mum, Bernard Hill as Susan's father, Rossy De Palma as the blind woman, Johanna Torell as Nic's wife and Joe Cunningham as the policeman. Written and directed by Mike Figgis.