A bisexual man finds comfort ― and a bit more than he bargained for ― via an online hookup in a quirky and colorful short film.
HuffPost caught a sneak peek at “Flex,” debuting online next week as part of the 10th annual Frameline Voices program, hosted by San Francisco’s Frameline Film Festival. Directed by Matt Porter, the film follows Charles (played by actor Charles Gould), a Los Angeles man who is feeling down after an unexpected breakup with his girlfriend (Brianna Baker) before she moves abroad. Before long, Charles finds himself eager to embrace the larger canvas of his sexuality ― which, in his case, includes his interest in men.
In the clip below, Charles is introduced to Alex (Charles Rogers), with whom he’s been chatting on a dating app. Whether Charles and Alex find lasting romance remains to be seen, but things are off to an awkward start.
Catch a sneak peek at “Flex” below.
Gould, whose acting credits include “The Big Sick” and the Netflix series “Bonding,” based the “Flex” screenplay on his own experiences as a bisexual man, having rarely seen himself reflected in pop culture.
“The first time I saw a bisexual man on TV was a vampire on ‘True Blood,’ which, needless to say, didn’t reflect my experience,” he told HuffPost in an interview. “As a kid, I was attracted to men and women, and I didn’t really know what to make of that.”
“I just thought I was weird because I was turned on by Britney [Spears] and the astronaut in the ‘Oops!… I Did It Again’ video,” he continued. “It wasn’t until I got older and started having sex that I began to understand that there was such a thing as a bisexual person and that there are a lot of other bi people in the world.”
“Flex” is viewable in full here. It will be featured April 14 as one of seven short films included in the Frameline Voices program, presented via a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. Gould is hopeful that the story of Charles and Alex doesn’t end there, as he and Elliot Page are writing and developing a television series based on the film.
“[I’m a] person who’s had their identity questioned their whole life,” he explained. “I would love to explore the bisexuality of Hollywood in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. I think there is an excellent movie about a bisexual actor today finding his footing and identity as we flash back to a bisexual actor doing the same in the 1940s.”
