Saturday, June 21, 10:00 pm, Victoria Theatre
John (played by writer/director/producer Jesse Rosen) has just broken up with his girlfriend and moves to Los Angeles, hanging out with his college buddies, going out to drink and get laid, and working a day job as a glorified gofer in an ad agency, hoping to pursue his interest in photography. His boss has "7-figure sexual harrassment suit" written all over him, but John is initially too confused about himself to push away. Some of the funny lines are laughs and others are groaners — subtle and not-so-subtle inuendos — but throughout, the viewer gets a sense of a young man wrestling with defining himself and shifting from a collegiate to an adult persona. Oh, and the eye candy's pretty sweet, too.... Highly recommendedThe Art of Being Straight, dir. Jesse Rosen, 2008 USA 77 min.
Technorati tags: The Art of Being Straight, Frameline32, LGBT Film
The Art of Being Straight was good, but The World Unseen was much better — Unseen is now on my list of my Favorite Lesbian Movies. Saturn in Opposition was very good too. (Both were shown on Friday evening at the Castro.)
ReplyDeleteWorld Unseen is a great film, and I would even say "better" (though obviously not as much fun) compared with AoBS. Saturn I thought was very well done, but the story didn't quite draw me in the way I would've liked.
ReplyDeleteArt of Being Straight was oddly revolutionary. You had a film that on one hand was a caricature of a mumblecore movie, a bunch of no name, understated actors expressing in a holding pattern in careers and romantic relationships in an angsty post college ennui. Long dialogue sequences check, hand held video check, the descendent of nouvelle vague lighting check. But dropped into this increasingly banal and over explored conflict is a quite seditious concept. Ever since the enlightenment we have increasingly tied the act of having sex with a member of our own gender with a particular sense of self which reached a fever pitch in the 70's identity politic driven world of the civil rights movement. Leading to the momentous decision that if "straights" can marry "gays" can marry (no longer the "sinful act" of the ancient world, but two discreet groups that need to be treated as equals)
ReplyDeleteHowever Jesse Rosen places the act on equal footing as 20 something questions of identity like "what do I DO for a living or what do I WANT to do for a living," and the truly bizarre phenomenon of hipsters fervently denying their complete adherence to a specific set of rules of fashion and lifestyle.
Basically, gays can now get married, but now straights should be able to sleep with the same sex and not lose their straight identity.
Other than that, the main actors did a fantastic job with an uneven supporting cast, but the editing and camera work really stole the show.
(please note, I am gay and biased as my brother was involved in the making of this film)