Last year’s gay drama Those People has made a change in the world of gay movies.
Joey Kuhn’s, director and screenwriter, has put on the screen a gay love story that resembles many other love stories in the real world, for both gay and straight people.
Actually, the movie was inspired by Kuhn’s love for his best gay friend, a love that was never complete, yet it never ceased to exist.
Those People focuses on two main characters, Charlie, a sensitive artist who falls for his best friend Sebastian, whose wealthy father faces white-collar criminal charges.
Even if everyone thought it was a bad idea, Charlie moves in with Sebastian to help him get over the drama in his family. And so, he meets Tim, a Lebanese artist who falls for Charlie, creating a confusing love triangle.
Sebastian is a man who cares only to receive love and affection, while Charlie gives everything, in return of so little. Their disfuncțional relationship is based on Sebastian’s need for affection and Charlie’s love for him.
Kuhn talked about the story behind the movie.
“In college I fell in love with my gay best friend. I kept it a secret from him for years. I was afraid it’d ruin the friendship, I was afraid of rejection.”
Despite the sufferance of not being loved back and the situation going on for five years, “it provided this endless well of creative inspiration for the script.”
Kuhn’s crush has never transformed into something real, his best friend moved back to India, and Kuhn went to visit him. That was when he revealed his true feelings.
“He moved back to India, where he’s from, two years after college ended and I went to visit him. Two days before the trip ended, I showed him the short and I was like, “Surprise! I’m in love with you,” Kuhn recalls.
Years later, when he was writing the script for Those People, a script inspired by his own experience, Kuhn realized that he was still having feelings for his best friend.
The movie depicts a heartbreaking unrequited love, two different people, one putting himself behind and the other being self-absorbed.
There are also sex scenes, and Kuhn wanted to make it right after Brokeback Mountain left straight people “think gay men just spit on their dicks and do it doggy style.” Kuhn said: “Brokeback Mountain really fucked it up for us.”
So, sex scenes in the movie were very important for Kuhn.
“In the script stage, I knew they’d be having sex facing each other. It was incredibly important to me and to put in the movie. I wanted straight people to see it and learn how gay men can have sex,” he said.
The movie has two big messages: “Don’t hold your feelings inside because expressing them is extremely important.” And, “It’s much better to say the thing that is weighing heavily on you than to keep it in and torture yourself.”
Those People is a must-see gay movie, but speaks a univeral language of love.
Check out Those People movie official trailer:
Source: youtube.com
