2006's 'Shortbus' courted a lot of controversy at the time it was released and is still shocking to many audiences today. John Cameron Mitchell's plot is inspired by real-life gay gatherings in the vibrant New York City party scene, which often descended into chemically enhanced orgies
Mitchell took the decision to approach his subject matter with authenticity and realism. That meant the movies contains explicit sex scenes which were deemed too graphic for cinema, including unsimulated sex, ejaculation, and penetration. The director justified his artistic choices by saying that porn doesn't do justice to the cinematic quality of sex. As you'd expect from such a movie, there isn't one central character in the plot, with the film instead following a number of colorful characters who find themselves drawn to this underworld party scene, often trying to plug a hole in their lives.