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Coles (Mark Ruffalo) meets a young woman named Sam (Maya Stange) and her roommate Thea (Kathleen Robertson) at Sarah Lawrence College. It's the early '90s.
Coles and Sam begin a sexual relationship. That develops slowly into a more complex emotional bond, but it's not without its fits and starts. Infidelity raises its ugly head. The usual transgressions of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll take place, and Coles and Sam are no longer a couple.
Flash forward to present day. Now it's 10 years later, and everybody is (more or less) a grownup. Coles is involved in a long-term relationship with a woman named Claire (Petra Wright). Thea, who is presented as a bit of a wild card in the first act, is happily married to a successful restaurateur. Sam has been living in England with her fiance.
Then Sam comes back to America. A chance meeting has the old threesome together again. Sparks fly once more between Sam and Coles. Things get complicated.
XX/XY is a sexy, well-written contemporary fable about growing up, commitment and compromise. Although Coles' character -- he's a failed artist and filmmaker who ends up working for an ad agency -- is central, the women in the story are three-dimensional. And to the writer-director's credit, audience sympathy rarely flags, even though almost all of the characters behave badly.
Watching how the characters change, or don't change, with the passage of time is one of the most satisfying aspects of XX/XY. The film involves unfinished business -- of the emotional type. It is a bittersweet story, just like real life, and not plot driven.
The dialogue is brisk, gritty and believable ("There's no room for honesty in a healthy relationship,") and the source of most of the film's humour. XX/XY is a lovely film and very smart, and it's for grownups. That's a rare pleasure.
(This film is rated 18-A)