NICK CORPORON
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB.5.
Closing Time Productions. USA, 2016. Story by Justin Bailey, Collin Brazie, Nick Corporon, Gareth Dutton, Screenplay by Nick Corporon. Cinematography by Collin Brazie. Produced by Collin Brazie, Nick Corporon, Sean Mandell. Music by Mike Meehan. Production Design by Yikai Wang. Film Editing by Thom Newell. Podcasts: Bad Gay Movies.
A middle-aged gentleman (Tuc Watkins) arrives in San Francisco and immediately drives his rental car to a street frequented by male hustlers. He picks one but, upon taking him back to his hotel room, finds him lacking, so the next night he selects another candidate (Devon Graye) who he decides is right for the job. The young man agrees to be his client’s companion for the next few days, during which they go on a road trip with Watkins demanding that his charge go by a particular name, pose for carefully prepared photographs and act out the odd scenario that give Graye the idea that he has been hired to reenact a past relationship. It’s not a film that goes very deep, a sense of tension and atmosphere would have been lovely to add to what are two good performances and a genuine chemistry between the leads, but it’s entertaining and sexy and by the end is surprisingly sweet and touching.