Director Mark Bessenger Chats About His Film ‘The Last Straight Man’

It may seem a tad pretentious to bill your film as the "sexier, hotter and, well, gayer version of the Before Sunrise series," but the fact that those films are not sexy, hot, or gay makes me feel that it's a perfectly acceptable statement. This is the logline for director Mark Bessenger's new film The Last Straight Man, and he recently spoke with Big Gay Picture Show (link below) about the film.

In the film, two best friends—one straight, one bi—hook up just prior to the straight guy's marriage, and they decide to make it an annual event. Sounds more like Brokeback Mountain to me, but the comparison to Richard Linklater's Before series is in the time span. The film covers five of their get togethers over a 12-year period, and how "just sex" can sometimes lead to more.

Where did the idea for The Last Straight Man come from?

I wish I could say it was autobiographical, but it actually sprang from the budget. I knew my next feature would have to keep costs down, so I began to wonder if I could set a movie in one location and keep it interesting for ninety minutes. From there, it just built itself up: a hotel suite…one night every year afforded the opportunity to let characters grow…two men…best friends…one straight and one gay would provide the drama…unrequited love and sexual curiosity would provide the conflict…and there it was.

Due to the setup of showing us some of the men’s yearly meeting, there’s a fair amount of nudity and sexual situations. Was that difficult to handle on set? Were the actors concerned about it at first?

Mark Cirillo had done nudity in previous films so it wasn’t a big deal to him (although now that the movie is done, he has told me he’s amazed at how much skin and sex there is in it), and when we were recording the audio commentary for the DVD, Scott revealed that ‘those’ scenes had almost prevented him from accepting the role. Both actors were very brave, but I have to give special props to Scott, who basically flew across the country to meet a group of people he didn’t know and get comfortable enough around us to take off his clothes and show butt and peen.

We rehearsed the scenes (clothed) extensively before we began filming, so the actors were relaxed and familiar with each other’s bodies, so I think that made it easier for them. And while we shot with a small crew, it was still difficult to get people to work on the film, due to the fact that it was GAY sex and MALE nudity. Even the women on the shoot were, I was told, uncomfortable. But I am always about challenging boundaries, so I take that as a badge of honor. And everyone behaved professionally. Even the telling of dirty jokes on set was practically nonexistent.

Are you a fan of gay-themed cinema yourself? What are some of your favourites?

Yes, I love gay cinema. I love movies in general, but gay cinema feels like it speaks more to me than other genres (except horror, but that’s an essay in itself) because it’s easier to see myself on the screen. I could name several films, but I’m going to restrict myself to two, both by the same director: Joseph Graham. This guy is such a good filmmaker, it hurts. His first film, Strapped, is a character study of people living in an apartment building as they encounter a male escort who has just had a client and cannot find the exit. After working his way through the literal and figurative maze-like hallways, he learns something about himself. It’s a beautiful piece of work. Now, Joe has a new film coming out called Beautiful Something. He’s putting the finishing touches on it right now. He graciously asked me to watch it…and it’s simply brilliant. It’s about our relationship with art and how that effects all aspects of our lives. It’s gorgeous, sexy, amazingly directed and the acting is devastatingly wonderful. Keep an eye out for that one. It’s flat-out my favorite gay film to date.

To read the full interview, head on over to Big Gay Picture Show