“very heartwarming, ganito din vibes nakukuha ko sa childhood friends ko, parang feel mo di nila alam or they dont care, pero when people care they notice everything” – Letterboxd Review
When a closeted all-boys highschool student grabs an opportunity to express his effeminate side, how do his friends react when they see him being this way for the first time?
Director’s Statement
I made this short film back in college as a pilot for a potential webseries I wanted to make about being queer in a school that’s primarily filled with straight, religious men. The series was supposed to be 5 episodes long, with each episode lasting only 5 minutes. It focuses on the non-dating experiences of an effeminate young man. Each episode would start off with the main character recapping his experiences in school to his date and end with him realizing things about himself and his painfully straight male friend group. While this short film resonated with a few people who grew up in similar circumstances, it unfortunately was not liked enough as a proof of concept to be pursued as a full-on webseries. Maybe someday I’ll reuse these ideas for a different film project, but for now I’ll let it rest as a short film I made as a student right after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. -Julian
Cast
Vin Amodia as The Protagonist
Vin plays the high school boy whose soft, effeminate tendencies make most people assume that he’s innocent, naive, and needs to learn more about the world and himself. Growing up with mostly straight and cisgendered boys, he always felt like a little bit of an outcast among his friends. Having spent most of his life in the closet, he wonders how his friends would react if they discovered his effeminate side as much as he fears it.
Bo Oliva as The Sacred Friend
Bo plays the guy who’s what you’d expect to find if the Bible was incarnated into a man. Although you would never suspect it from his youthful and charming personality, he’s read the entire holy book from cover to cover several times and can recite any passage in Greek, Latin, or English from memory. Though not much else is known about his personality, one thing is for certain: he will always be there to take care of his friends.
John Sainz as The Swiss Army Friend
John plays the all-star athlete with a full scholarship in an honors class. Whether it’s sports, academics, or even art, he is somehow always able to excel in whatever he does. Even though every guy wants to be him and every girl wants to be with him, his modest nature doesn’t allow him to realize this fact.
Kyle Cabahug as The Friend Mom Warned You About
Kyle plays the bro that’s always the life of the party. If the two of you paired up for a group assignment, you can be sure that you won’t get the assignment done but you will have a fun night of partying. Although he may be a little sexist and rude, he probably still has a kind heart somewhere if you look hard enough.
Stills and Bonus Material
Interviews and Others
