Am I the only one

who thought this movie had a lot of merit beyond the nudity?

It had problems. Both the writing and acting were uneven. It's hard to accept that the Madonna fan and Sam's video are actually parts of the same movie. The audio was atrocious at times.

But much of the movie did set the stage for the final scene, which asked some good questions. The final embrace bordered on a Hollywood ending, and given the way the scene had been set up it didn't have to. Was Jackson settling or was he growing up? How much of his motivaion was running To something versus running Away? If the beloved always tortures the lover, are they doomed? Or is it wrong to even view it as the beginning of a relationship? Is it just here and now?

I admit I watched this movie for the nudity the first time. The second time I watched it for the characters and story. They could have shot the thing in Murmansk with everyone in parkas and I'd have been just as happy -or nearly so.