I'm currently preparing to open my latest play Operation Impervious for the Toronto Fringe Festival (July 7, book now!) and one of its themes is the obsession that people often have with the sex lives of straight movie stars. Rumours and insinuations are made about certain celebrities who appear to have perfectly moral relationships that are believed to be false façades for sneakier proclivities. The more obvious question is to ask why anyone even cares? The less obvious matter is the fact that there is a running desire for attractive straight men to secretly be on our team. Social pressures of the past and personal experiences probably have a lot to do with this, a desire most likely stemming from an adolescence filled with moments of feeling never quite on top of things. Or it could just be because, as in the cases of some celebrities, the evidence is truly mounting. Last year a wonderful film came out that has not one but two straight men switching teams because they find comfort in each other's arms. Marco Berger's Plan B was one of the standout selections of the 2010 Inside Out Film Festival, winning the Best Feature prize and deservedly so. When Bruno is dumped by his girlfriend Laura for another guy, he deals with the friendship by befriending Pablo, Laura's new guy, after having heard a rumour he heard that he might be bisexual. Bruno intends to seduce Pablo and truly get his girlfriend back for abandoning him, but what happens in the process is a surprisingly effective and sexy tale of souls connecting. What really surprises and amazes in Berger's film, however, is that an absolutely preposterous tale (how many people in real life do you meet who actually fall in love with someone's soul) is made fully believable thanks to such unforced direction and subtle acting.Plan B is available on DVD from Mongrel Media.
See more queer-themed films for Pride in my newly created Pink Pages.
