a short film by Dominic Leclerc 2009 | 14 mins | UK ›› Protect Me from What I Want a touching ‘boys first time’ story Fans of Shameless twin Elliott Tittensor could be forgiven for thinking that all their wet dreams have come true, when in this British short Elliott gets down to some manly hanky-panky with the object of his cinematic desire. For here Tittensor plays Daz, a gay scally on the look out for some hot man-on-man action, only to find himself attracted to Saleem; a young Muslim hardly out to himself, let alone open to the thought of gay sex. Exiting the scene faster than a discarded condom, it isn’t long before the two meet again. Only as a council bed-sit sees Daz instruct virginal Saleem in the art of man sex, could it be that Saleem has a lesson or two to teach Daz about love? Written and directed by Dominic Leclerc, this touching short arrives like a cinematic shot of Shameless, given Elliott Tittensor effortlessly reprises his working class credentials, along the way casting his boxers to the floor in true Shameless style. And yet it is Naveed Choudhry who emotionally reaches out to you, his nervous glances aptly conveying the mindset of a young man too afraid to even give his name, forever living in fear of the repercussions the true nature of his sexuality would have, if it became known to his family. For this is more than just a ‘boys first time’ story, as Leclerc narratively touches upon the issue of what it means to be gay and Muslim in today's society, along the way lacing his script with feelings of ‘disgust’ and ‘shame.’ Only as this well-executed work on loneliness and if anything, a longing for friendship and perhaps something more sets out to show, being gay and Muslim is not an oxymoron. Need more be said? available on DVD as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue 'Boys on Film 4: Protect Me from What I Want' release screened as part of the London Short Film Festival 2009 a UK Film Council and Screen Yorkshire production starring: Naveed Choudhry, Elliott Tittensor Copyright 2010 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #260 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹