FILM
Anonymous Hookups in a Blue Room
Film follows teen as he navigates encounters with men
BY GARY M. KRAMER
“Sequin in a Blue Room,”
identifi ed as “a homosexual
fi lm by Samuel
Van Grinsven,” is a crisp,
minimalist, and some might say
pretentious drama about Sequin
(Conor Leach) having a series of
anonymous gay sexual encounters.
A high school student who
claims he is 18 — he is, in fact,
16 — Sequin’s online handle derives
from the glittery halter top
he wears when he meets men using
“anon,” a hookup app. (No
one seems to comment about his
silvery article of clothing, but one
gentleman does pick up a detached
sequin after a tryst and fondles it
nostalgically.)
Van Grinsven’s homosexual fi lm
(it is hard not to insist on calling it
that) is more enigmatic than erotic.
Despite numerous sexual encounters,
there is very brief nudity, and
most of the couplings lack romantic
passion. It is more creepy than
sexy watching B (Ed Wightman),
whose handle is “Discrete Daddy,”
ask Sequin to close the curtains
and undress so he can have his
way with him.
“Sequin in a Blue Room” deliberately
provides no explanation for
its protagonist’s behavior, which
can be seen as reckless or sex positive.
This may be Van Grinsven’s
way of letting viewers form their
own opinions. Does Sequin have
daddy issues? His father, (Jeremy
Lindsay Taylor) gives his son pretty
much free reign, asking only that
Sequin text him his whereabouts
so he does not worry.
Is Sequin looking for love? His
classmate, Tommy (Simon Croker),
is obviously enamored with
him and invites him to the movies
(after they masturbate side-by-side
in adjoining bathroom stalls at
school).
Or is he just experimenting with
his sexuality and gaining experience?
Sequin’s policy is to block
anyone he has had sex with, telling
B that he “doesn’t see people
twice.”
Sequin (Conor Leach) in “Sequin in a Blue Room.”
All or none of the above may be
true. It does not really matter. The
cool, detached storytelling hardly
invites emotional connection. That
Leach plays up Sequin’s insouciance
only emphasizes this dispassionate
vibe.
Then there is the pivotal set piece,
a wordless sequence that unfolds
in “The Blue Room,” of the title, an
anonymous, invite-only sex party.
Conor is fascinated by this “apartment”
which features plastic walls
where he can see men having sex
as he wanders the hallways. He
is lured through the space by D
(Damian de Montemas), but when
he is spotted by B, Sequin makes
an escape by coupling up with F
(Samuel Barrie) a young man with
whom he experiences sexual pleasure.
“Find me out there,” F communicates
to Sequin, who wants to
break his own rule and reconnect.
“Sequin in a Blue Room” generates
most of its dramatic tension
not from Sequin’s pursuit of F, but
from his subsequent encounters
with B. He agrees to see B again
because he wants access to the
Blue Room in the hope of reuniting
with F. When Sequin logs into
B’s phone, post-sex, he discovers
messages that unsettle him and
prompt him to steal the device.
This leads to a game of cat and
mouse between B and Sequin. B
tracks Sequin down; Sequin debates
whether to message B’s wife.
There is a potentially fraught situation
involving Sequin meeting drag
queen Virginia (Anthony Brandon
Wong) when it is revealed that B is
on his way over to trap him.
Van Grinsven fi lms all of these
events artfully, but they feel empty.
Likewise, scenes of Sequin taking
a shower and refl ecting on his
sexual experiences fail to achieve
any real meaning. His connection
with F feels superfi cial, which does
not warrant the investment Sequin
makes to reunite with this
potential boyfriend. And there are
painfully obvious scenes of Sequin
in school being lectured by an unseen
teacher (Tsu Shan Chambers)
about tropes of love and obsession
in literature.
However, Sequin is not very likable
or sympathetic (And not just
because he appreciates “Twilight”).
He is cruel towards Tommy, remote
to his accepting and well-meaning
father, and aloof towards most everyone
else. He agrees to one hookup
PECCADILLO PICTURES
just to get information he was
promised about F. Sequin may be a
self-centered teen, but it is not until
late in the fi lm — when he seeks
refuge with the kind Virginia, who
takes him in after a rough night —
that he drops his cold demeanor
and deserves pity and compassion.
But by then it may be too late.
“Sequin in a Blue Room” prefers
style over substance. The fi lm is
gorgeously lensed by cinematographer
Jay Grant. A shot of Sequin
face-down in a pillow during sex
with B is particularly arresting —
not just because of the power dynamic
at play, but because Leach
conveys so much pleasure and
pain with his wide-eyed, openmouthed
expression. In addition,
the “anon” app is incorporated well
throughout the fi lm.
Van Grinsven certainly has talent
to burn, but despite its potential,
this intriguing coming-of-age
fi lm never quite excites.
SEQUIN IN A BLUE ROOM | Directed
by Samuel Van Grinsven |
Available May 18 on Apple, iTunes,
Google Play, Amazon Prime Video,
and Peccadillo POD | Distributed by
Peccadillo Pictures
May 20 - June 2,32 2021 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
