Sex, Lies, and Videotape
1989 · 101 min · Director: Steven Soderbergh
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
John and Ann Mullany, a junior partner at a law firm and a housewife respectively, are a young, upwardly mobile couple, who most would deem to have a perfect life. Ann's outward perfection belies the fact that she is in therapy, dealing with the stress over worrying about global issues with which she has little to no control. She does not see certain things with which she does have control being problems in her life, namely her sexual repression or her disinterest in sex as an activity, that is until it manifested itself in this stress which in turn is having, what she believes, a negative impact on her marriage. What she is unaware of is that, long before her stress began, John embarked on an affair with her sister, bartender Cynthia Bishop, who she doesn't admire as being too "loud". John reconnects with a close friend from college named Graham Dalton, who, to John, appears to have lost his way in life in the years that they have not been in touch. Graham, via the method in which he deals with his emotional and sexual problems - which is also believes is being totally forthright to all concerned - has a profound effect on Cynthia, John and Ann, who in turn, especially Ann, have a profound effect on him.
Emotional fingerprint
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Anxiety 28%, Confusion 22%, Empathy 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Anxiety28%
- Confusion22%
- Empathy20%
- Love15%
- Satisfaction15%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Anxiety, Confusion, Empathy. Genres: Drama. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Anxiety, Confusion and Empathy. Its IMDb rating of 7.2/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Tension
- Curiosity
- Empathy
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Tension | Curiosity | Empathy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Curiosity | 35 % | 19 % | 32 % | 16 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Curiosity | 38 % | 25 % | 36 % | 18 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 13′ | Curiosity | 39 % | 29 % | 38 % | 16 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Curiosity | 39 % | 28 % | 38 % | 18 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 23′ | Curiosity | 40 % | 24 % | 39 % | 26 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Curiosity | 38 % | 24 % | 38 % | 26 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Curiosity | 43 % | 33 % | 41 % | 22 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Curiosity | 49 % | 38 % | 51 % | 20 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Curiosity | 47 % | 32 % | 51 % | 17 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Curiosity | 44 % | 30 % | 41 % | 18 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Tension | 50 % | 43 % | 33 % | 27 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 58′ | Tension | 54 % | 52 % | 31 % | 35 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Tension | 53 % | 51 % | 35 % | 37 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Tension | 60 % | 57 % | 40 % | 43 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Tension | 68 % | 66 % | 45 % | 48 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Tension | 66 % | 62 % | 50 % | 50 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 83′ | Empathy | 61 % | 54 % | 47 % | 54 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Empathy | 62 % | 54 % | 37 % | 52 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 93′ | Tension | 56 % | 42 % | 26 % | 40 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 98′ | Humor | 45 % | 23 % | 20 % | 32 % |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Sex, Lies, and Videotape. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Girl on Tape
Landlord
John's Colleague
Details
- Directed by
- Steven Soderbergh
- Written by
- Steven Soderbergh
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1989
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Country
- United States
- Genres
- Drama
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Anxiety
- Data updated
Where to watch
Feels similar
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