Threesome is on the road to trouble

The two-car collision at the start of The Principles of Lust - a metal-mangler, but nobody gets hurt - is emblematic of how the people in Penny Woolcock's charged-up drama crash into one another, into destructive relationships, into love.

A British film that aspires to Mike Leigh realism, with bits of Jules and Jim thrown in for good measure, Lust follows a would-be novelist on the dole as he falls for a lovely, lanky social worker and single mother - then gets all angsty and feels trapped.

Enter a reckless pal, who dangles temptation our hero's way: sex, drugs, raves, even a combustible pit stop at a gas station.

Alec Newman is Paul, the writer, and Sienna Guillory is Juliette, the mother of a pint-size but demanding son. Bad boy Billy is played by Marc Warren, who could easily have subbed for Malcolm McDowell in the days of If. . . and A Clockwork Orange. He's seductive, subversive.

Woolcock's feature debut has a strong grasp of detail and dialogue that rings true. The performances by Newman and Guillory - especially when things start falling apart - are powerful.

But there's something sophomoric about Lust and its exploration of debauchery - and its pretentious allusions to French kinkster-philosopher George Bataille. The pent-up rage is palpable, and physical and psychic brutality course through the story, but it's all, well, a little writerly. It's as if Woolcock herself was the would-be novelist, dreaming up these lives in her garret - and not quite getting them right.

The Principles of Lust ** 1/2 (out of four stars)

Written and directed by Penny Woolcock. With Alec Newman, Sienna Guillory and Marc Warren.

Running time: 1 hour, 46 mins.

Parent's guide: No MPAA rating (graphic sex, nudity, profanity, violence, drugs, adult themes)

Playing at: 6:45 tonight at the Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., and 9:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Bridge, 4012 Walnut St.

*

Below is a schedule of today's Philadelphia Film Festival events. Unless noted, day-of-show tickets are $7 for matinees (until 4 p.m.), $9 evenings, and available all day at the venue box office. For information, ticket sales, and box-office locations, call 267-765-9700, Ext. 3, or visit www.phillyfests.com. For reviews, stories, and a link to the festival Web site, go to www.philly.com.

4 p.m. Come and Go (Portugal). The Bridge, 4012 Walnut St.

4:30 p.m. X, Y (U.S.). Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. Guest: director Vladimir Vitkin; also A. Jonathan Benny, director of the short film "Do Not Disturb".

5 p.m. Devot. (Germany). Ritz East, Second Street between Chestnut and Walnut Streets.

5 p.m. Steve Phoenix: The Untold Story (U.S.). International House, 3701 Chestnut St. Guest: director Bill Haley.

5:15 p.m. Cold Light (Iceland). Ritz East. Guest: director Hilmar Oddsson.

5:15 p.m. Afterlife (Scotland). Bridge.

6:45 p.m. The Principles of Lust (Great Britain). Prince. See castbox.

7:15 p.m. Reconstruction (Denmark). Ritz East.

7:15 p.m. Orwell Rolls in His Grave (U.S.). I-House. Guest: director Robert Kane Pappas.

7:30 p.m. Singles (South Korea). Ritz East.

7:30 p.m. The First Letter (Iran). Bridge.

7:30 p.m. Truth and Lies (Italy). Bridge.

9:15 p.m. Carandiru (Brazil). Prince.

9:30 p.m. The Island (Italy). Ritz East.

9:30 p.m. Evergreen (U.S.). I-House. Guests: director Enid Zentelis and producer Eva Kolodner.

9:45 p.m. Cops (Sweden). Bridge.

10 p.m. Tesseract (Thailand/Japan/Great Britain). Bridge.

10 p.m. The Uninvited (South Korea). Ritz East.