Year: 2003
Language: English
Format: 35mm Colour
Runtime: 100 min
Director: Sudz Sutherland
Producer: Jennifer Holness
Executive Producer: Paul Stephens, Christopher Zimmer, Jeff Sackman
Writer: Sudz Sutherland
Cinematographer: Arthur Cooper
Editor: Jeff Warren
Sound: Bissa Skecic
Music: Kenny Neal
Cast: Hill Harper, Marlyne Afflack, Kai Soremekun, Mark Taylor, Ed Robertson, Kenny Robinson
Production Company: Eating the Bones Productions

Michael (Hill Harper) is a talented, aspiring photographer who makes his living as a security guard. He also happens to be very into adult videos. His fantasies are put to the test when, at the local laundromat, he meets the beautiful, independent and intelligent Jasmine, a marketing executive who has been celibate for two years following a failed relationship. Michael and Jasmine fall hard for each other and their relationship rapidly advances.

However, things get complicated when Jasmine decides she’s ready to take the plunge and Michael finds he can’t get it up without the help of his beloved videos. Their situation is further complicated when Jasmine’s prickly roommate Peaches (Kai Soremekun) enters Michael in a contest to "perform" with his favourite porn star – and he wins. Michael must face the delusions of his fantasy life in order to experience real-life romantic bliss with Jasmine.

This sly, raunchy and funny romantic comedy takes its central metaphor from African-Caribbean history; slaves rarely received meat for their meals, so when they did, they savoured all of it. Jasmine and Michael have to "eat the bones" – suck the marrow from life, take the bitter with the sweet, the good with the bad – in order to realize the potential of the love between them.

Director Sudz Sutherland’s winning debut feature is an engaging, crowd-pleasing comedy that revels in sexy fun and wry insights into modern relationships. The charismatic leads provide terrific chemistry and the performances as a whole strike an appealing balance between cool composure and sweet vulnerability.

Love, Sex and Eating the Bones was named Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival®, and won the Audience Award and Best Feature Award at the Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival. It enjoyed positive reviews upon its theatrical release, which was distinguished by the uncommon exhibition strategy of offering audience members at Toronto’s downtown Paramount theatre a $6 rebate on tickets. It was also named one of Canada’s Top Ten of 2003 by an independent, national panel comprised of filmmakers, programmers, journalists and industry professionals.