30 years ago, ‘Threesome’ gave audiences a progressive look at sexual fluidity & experimentation
Welcome back to our queer film retrospective, “A Gay Old Time.” In this week’s column, with Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers theaters now, we’re revisiting another queer love triangle in 1994’s Threesome, celebrating its 30th anniversary this month.For as long as young people have been, well, young, they’ve been experimenting with their sexuality.
Of course, there are those pesky matters like conservative values and beliefs, repressive religion, and limited sexual education that may stunt or forbid that experimentation.
But an essential part of growing up has always been growing curious. The accepted narrative around sexuality (and its portrayals in media and entertainment) is that once you discover what you like and dislike, it becomes a truth engraved in stone for the rest of your life.
It’s implied that this discovery comes at once, that there’s no trial and error around it. The stage of experimentation (that part where you try new stuff that may not end up being what you like, with new people that may not end up being who you like) is often skipped over or ignored in stories about sexual coming of age.
