a short film by John McCrite
2005 | 23 mins | US
Malcolm Gets .... Michael
Adam Bloch .... Zeno
Paul Denniston .... Hugh
Edward E Cohen .... Crystal Addict
Steven Callahan .... Bartender #1
Larry K Avelar .... Porn Star #1
Theron Hatch .... Porn Star #2
Dedicated to the memory of
Gregory Scott Cabrera
Little Boy Blues
a telling short that contrasts the
need for love against the
desire for sex
Available on DVD as part of the
Picture This! catalogue
www.picturethishomevideo.com
- ref. Boys Briefs 3
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To cut to the chase, this is the story of how cute guy Michael, single again following the death
of his long-term partner from AIDS, succumbs to the charms of a stranger, only to end up having
unprotected sex with him, fuelled on drink, drugs and images of hardcore sex. Yet when they
both hit their sexual high, just what are they left with; a memory of a one-night stand
or something far more pronounced?
And that is the crux of the matter, given how in the heat of the moment, unsafe sex flourishes.
To that end, Malcolm Gets of ADAM & STEVE fame gives a sincere portrayal of a man desperately
trying to escape the loneliness and emotional void that goes hand-in-hand with bereavement, a
performance that is countered by the fine work of Adam Bloch who is every inch the rampant
stud of the piece, out of sex and a crystal induced high if he can get it and
certainly not a meaningful friendship as on offer here.
That this short is based on a personal experience of its writer and director John McCrite, namely
the loss of a close friend to AIDS, cannot help but make it an all the more pressing work. And
yet it gets weighed down in its storytelling, as one too many anecdotes distract from the
serious point it is trying to make.
Well-shot throughout, this is equally a work that contrasts the need for love against the desire
for sex, as the one seeking affection finds instead a man whose sexual appetite is a starter
of drugs and whose mind is already on his next dish once his main course has been delivered.
Yet in leaving before the bill is paid, he fails to see that the price for such is the
year-on-year increase in newly diagnosed HIV infections. For whilst we all know or
should know the medical ramifications of engaging in unprotected sex, as this
telling short illustrates, when alcohol and drugs enter the equation,
bareback sex can often raise its ugly head.
In short and whilst this work could well have done with the odd edit here and there, at the end
of the day you cannot help but admire a director who has gone out of his way to remind us
of the dangers of casting condoms to the wind. Need more be said, bar a reminder that
unsafe sex leads to the spread of HIV and STDs - so think before you go bareback. Please!
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