For their tenth collection of gay-themed shorts, Boys On Film X, the fine folk at Peccadillo have gathered eight films in which young guys grapple with their sexuality. And two of them push the boundaries of explicit sex and nudity on-screen. Jack Leger spoke with some of the actors and filmmakers…
BLINDERS
At 23, English model-turned-actor, and QX cover boy, Luke Worrall is best-known as Kelly Osborne’s ex-fiancé. But he has a strong screen presence as the dreamy other man in the American short Blinders…
Luke: Yes, my character is very dreamy. It almost felt as if I were asleep! It was really interesting to play a part like this. And wearing next to nothing – or nothing at all – isn’t something that bothers me, as I’m used to it with modelling. Although I do prefer to wear clothes if possible! But filming it was really fun, as it was my first part in a film. I enjoyed every day on the set.
BOYS VILLAGE
German filmmaker Till Kleinert’s short Cowboy won the Iris Prize – the world’s leading gay short-film award – in 2008, which helped him shoot his next short Boys Village in Iris’ home, Wales. It was his first time working outside of Germany…
Till: It was daunting to work in a foreign language. But Ben Thorne is an incredibly thoughtful and responsive actor, and he was only 13 at the time! The film depicts a lonely boy longing for contact with an older youth, but I think it’s more of a romantic, even slightly supernatural attraction than a sexually charged one. To me the story is about the gap between having queer feelings and being on a straight path in life.
LITTLE GAY BOY CHRIST IS DEAD
British-French filmmaker Antony Hickling’s Little Gay Boy ChrisT Is Dead is the most in-your-face short in the collection. And it’s actually the middle of a triptych that mixes religious and explicit gay imagery…
Antony: I write about personal experiences and use “queer” as a means of telling stories. The first part focuses on mother Maria and the conception, the second part on little gay boy Jean-Christophe and the third part on the father. The story is very personal and at times violent. As Francis Bacon said “My painting is not violent; it’s life that is violent.” Equally, I’m exploring sexuality, at least my own, pushing my ideas to their limit.
Antony is full of admiration for Gaetan Vettier, the sexy, brave young actor who plays J-C in the films…
Gaetan: J-C was a challenging role. He endures these challenging experiences yet remains innocent. I had to play a very naïve, childlike hope in every situation. But the experience was a funny adventure. The first day, lying naked on the bed after the shot, Antony and the crew started a long discussion about lighting and camera moves. And I was just there, naked! Working on these films has been surprising, powerful, crazy and definitely moving.
HEADLONG
From Belgium, 18-year-old actor Jelle Florizoone played the lead role Bavo Defurne’s gay drama North Sea Texas. And the short Headlong shows further maturity as an adventurous actor…
Jelle: My character in the short is looking for a connection. He’s travelling abroad and feeling lonely, then meets Jerome (North Sea Texas co-star Thomas Coumans) and sees him as an older brother. Well, that’s how I saw him. The physical scenes with Thomas were comfortable because I knew him, but the dance-scenes were tough! Now I’m working on an anti-bullying campaign project with Marlee Matlin and other Hollywood stars, so I hope to get my work permit fixed and get more opportunities abroad.
• Boys On Film X is out now on DVD and VOD from Peccadillo.
