This short (written and directed by Oliver Mason) is a 12 minute reminder that if you are not on top of your gay admin you are not going to be getting much sex. If you can’t schedule the time to watch it you are probably in need of it.
Currently only airing on BBC IPlayer as part of the Born Digital: First Cuts series (watch now before it expires) it bills itself as a gay sexual history but is more about the practical barriers of gay men meeting each other and how media has changed it.
Prior to legalization there was the underground clubs, cottages (public toilets) and cruising sites that were so haphazard and risky that they encouraged a culture of random frenzy. With gay liberation hanky codes (different colored handkerchiefs in the left or right hand back pocket to indicate sex preferences) helped hone a more selective approach. Not so helpful if you were dyslexic or color blind. Then along came the internet that allowed you to shop all the flavors in all the sizes and cancel penalty free at a moment’s notice.
This swift docudrama projects personal anecdotes on a pair of eternal lovers who meet in the different situations throughout the years (cruising, cottaging, online). The trysts are transactional in line with the situations. The claim that leads the documentary is about the importance of connection but there is no emotion beyond the initial excitement. The main message is about how media has shaped the sexual occasion. Does digital media give freedom of choice or just license to be more specific? If sex is more about digital scheduling than desire though it will remind you to get on top of your admin so you can get on top (underneath, sit, stood or knelt) of your man (lover, partner, fwb, non-binary companion, pup, daddy)
Review by Andrew HebdenQueerguru Correspondent Andrew Hebden is a MEDIA & CULTURAL STUDIES graduate spending his career between London, Beijing and NYC as an expert in media and social trends. As part of the expanding minimalist FIRE movement he recently returned to the UK and lives in Soho. He devotes as much time as possible to the movies, theatre and the gym. His favorite thing is to try something (anything) new every day.
Labels: 2019, gay history, short
