Gay media and how it links in to my FMP

I have three different inspirations for my FMP, 'Everything is Free' by Brian Jordan Alvarez, 'Love, Simon' directed by Greg Berlanti and 'Small Town Boy' by Bronski Beat.

'Everything is Free' is an indie film by American comedian and actor Brian Jordan Alvarez. The plot centres around a gay artist living in Colombia named Ivan (Played by Alvarez). He is visited by his best friend, Christian (Played by Peter Vack) and his younger brother, Cole (Morgan Krantz). Eventually, the supposedly straight Cole and Ivan become romantically involved. This, unfortunately, reveals Christian's latent, violent homophobia, causing the film to take a very distressing turn. What started out as a romcom/drama turns in to raw and uncomfortable view of how hidden homophobia revealing itself from the ones closest to you can be the most vitriolic and can disrupt your life the most. I want to use these themes in my FMP to give a less fluffy perspective on escaping homophobic relatives and moving on. A lot of media tells these stories but fails to portray how messy and traumatising the parts in-between are. These are themes I want to use primarily at the start of my film as this is when circumstances are at their worst for the main character. I do not want to shy away from how truly difficult it is on a young person to lose family members due to rejection of their own child over something that is fundamental to them, not because of circumstances out of anyone's control such as illness. I also want to take note of how Alvarez uses abstract scenes outside of the film's narrative to send home a point in relation to the plot. For example, there is a scene in a bright pink room with various pieces of gaudy decor with Ivan and Cole performing barely censored sexual acts, one scene with Ivan completely naked with an erection. It comes off as a parody of homosexuality which could be how Christian perceives Ivan's homosexuality: Camp, grotesque, gaudy, and predatory (towards Cole) which fuels his violent homophobia. If we see it from this perspective, it causes Christian to become a really terrifying character, at least to me. I want the audience to get this same sense of danger from the parent in this film.

'Love, Simon' is a commercially produced film based off the book by John Green. The story is about a high school student called Simon who is close to graduation. His life is idyllic, except for the fact that he is closeted and very afraid of being outed. He one day comes across an anonymous post on his school's blog by another gay student. He begins emailing this student and after a period of correspondence they begin to fall in love with each other. Simon goes through this film trying to find out the identity of his penpal, while also dealing with being outed by another student after being blackmailed by him. This is a much more lighthearted take on gay youth, but still is not afraid to show just how terrifying it is to be outed without your permission, and how violating it is to have the chance to do it yourself and on your own terms stolen from you. It is a film that is much easier to swallow for straight audiences as it focuses on the emotional pain of Simon and not the intricate aspects of his homosexuality such as culture, at least not in a way that isn't wrapped in humour. This film is key to my FMP because the character is a young person, therefore still somewhat emotionally immature. This causes him to make shortsighted decisions and act immaturely which then causes a rift to emerge between him and his friends, which I want to reflect in my own film.

'Small Town Boy' by Bronski Beat is a music video that features a young, working class gay man who is closeted to his family and the world, but debatably not his friends. He takes interest in a man at his local swimming pool who he attempts to talk to in the changing rooms. Failing this, he leaves, but is pursued by the man and his friends on their motorbikes who then assault him. He is brought home by a police officer to his distraught parents who ask him about what happens, leading him to very reluctantly out himself. His mother is extremely upset, while his father appears only to be angry. He is forced to leave only with a few pounds. Fortunately he is met on the train by his friends who appeared with him by the pool. This scene is most effective due to a moment where he takes a bite of an apple, and then passes it to his friends who all also take a bite. This is striking due to this being filmed in 1984, the heart of the AIDs crisis. It was considered a dangerous to be near a gay person for fear of contracting HIV, let alone sharing food with them. This is an act of solidarity that leaves the viewer with a hopeful ending that I would like to implement in my film towards the end as the main character begins to adjust. I am not yet sure how since there is not much that comes close to the clear message that scene sent out in its own era, but I want to use symbolism this powerful. This video is also relevant to my FMP as it gives the perspective of a working class person, and alongside this, a very conservative environment to be closeted in. The main character is meant to be working class, so I feel that the places I shoot will be assisted with this video.

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