Is it getting hot in here? Wait, never mind. It’s just deadCenter’s Sinful Sinema Shorts showcasing the many sides of sexuality. This year’s batch of seven short films proves there’s nothing wrong with love — no matter how strange it gets.
Ah, threesomes, the sexy landmines of passion. Greg Wolf’s Open to It follows a gay couple’s (Frank Arthur Smith and Tim Wardell) attempt to introduce a third. Though their banter is funny, it doesn’t diffuse how emotionally jarring these interactions can get. This short has a genuine heart amid the clever, not-quite-pornographic cinematography. Keep an eye out for Wolf’s next installment.
White colonizers are very, very bad boys. And the dominatrix (Jennifer Rader) in Peshawn Rae Bread’s The Daily Life of Mistress Red doesn’t hold back the punishment. The mockumentary follows Taylor (Tyra Blackwater) as she experiences the titular dom’s craft firsthand. Mistress Red is a hilarious piece that takes a cat o’ nine tails to white supremacy and sexism. And while it’s among the briefer Sinful Sinema Shorts, it may be the most iconic.
We go through a lot to prove ourselves — including kiddie pools filled with sangria. Chaconne Martin-Berkowicz’s Scotty’s Vag follows a college freshman (Isabelle Gillette) during the night of a sorority hazing. Desperate to impress the house’s leader, Scotty dives headfirst into her sexual awakening. Scotty’s Vag is as raw as it is real. It’s uncomfortable at times, but not needlessly provocative. Martin-Berkowicz has a knack for capturing an often-dismissed facet of college life.
Austin Lee Bunn’s Campfire is part narrative, part documentary, and entirely unforgettable. A closeted farmer (Mark Rowe) visits a gay campground to find Marty, a man he fell in love with decades ago. What he actually finds is a community of men comfortable with their identities. Slowly, the farmer realizes who he’s been really looking for is himself. In a collection of great short films, Campfire shoots embers above the pack.
Amanda Kaye’s Good Times & That’s Okay explores the relationship between a closeted, senior lesbian (Gael Ballantyne) and a sex worker, Destiny (Viviene Whittle). Never privy to a real romantic connection, the old woman seeks advice from Destiny about intimacy beyond sex. What she discovers about herself is triumphant and heart-wrenching. But as a result, it’s clear Kaye’s dialogue could benefit from a bit more screen time. Here’s hoping she locks that down in the near future.
Let’s face it: There aren’t a lot of differences between sex and submission wrestling. That’s not to say the subject of Alex Megaro’s Krush the Wrestler is a porn star (he’s not). But Krush is the undisputed champion of submission fetish wrestling. The documentary doesn’t try to shock or provoke you with its content. Instead, it explores Krush’s craft for what it actually is: art. The only disappointing thing about this short doc is that it taps out too quickly. Megaro already demonstrates the expertise and editorial prowess of some legendary documentarians. Give him enough time and he’ll surely be named among them one day.
Jenn Harris’ She’s Clean rounds out the Sinful Sinema Shorts as the technically steamiest entry. The short is exclusively set in a bathroom and explores a woman’s (also Harris) attempts to find intimacy in a hot shower. Her interactions with each date are funny and sometimes bizarrely uncomfortable. Harris’ performance is top-notch, as her facial expressions tell the bulk of the story. But She’s Clean isn’t played just for laughs. It’s a poignant look at how messy dating in your forties can get.
Find more deadCenter 2023 coverage at The Cinematropolis.
