Watch: Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’: The Director’s Hand

It makes complete sense that Steven Soderbergh, who started with ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’ would go on to direct such elaborate productions as ‘Kafka’ or ‘The Knick’: if you look closely at the director’s debut, you discover that it’s a highly determined film, down to its last nail. Shaun Higgins gives the film a very careful look in his most recent video essay (the first of a projected series): the editing, the dialogue, the camera angles, everything, down to the characters’ appreciation of ice tea, are given careful scrutiny here. The film made a remarkably strong impression ion me when I first saw it, and watching this piece has helped me to understand why.