"The love that you need will never be found at home." Those words written a few decades away by a great poet (and what a voice!) seem to echo still today precisely to many of us Out there and they also seem to fit my view of this short film called "Nightstand". The bits and pieces of what I've seen, and the little I know about the main creative force behind the film (writer and lead actor Amrou Al-Kadhi) makes me reach this conclusion - and that quote can also be used to the secondary character.
"Nightstand" revolves around Ramsey, a young gay man who works on a gay bar in London, most precisely the Soho district, who gets involved with an older family man (Nicholas Gleaves) in three consecutive nights. It seems a nice connection between them, specially for what they want: getting pleasure to the fullest after a long busy day.
But connecting for just one night is one thing and when you create a certain bond, you know things can get rough and awfully problematic. You already know the person and somehow, despite everything different between both parts, one keeps coming back, wanting for more, what's to expect if one of them want something besides the bed routine, and get to know the other person better and maybe form some relationship? Not easy.
I'm not sure if the movie is simply about telling this particular story (an experience faced in reality by Al-Kadhi) or if like many of the queer cinema/literature artists, it's about to mirror life and tell to us of how things can go and the ways we can avoid a similar situation. I'd like to think is the latter option. It seems as a warning that makes me rethink about issues of finding connections, bonding, the difference about what goes in one night to what goes in between heart and mind. That final scene was what kept me thinking: "Why?" for a really long time.
In a more cinematic way of view, "Nightstand" is definitely the thing that is missing in some short or even feature films. It's bold, exciting, sexy despite its limited time and despite the way the story has to present us...because it's a lot more than just sex, it talks about human relations, loneliness, identity, the ways we go through life trying to find love and some understanding. But the scenes of sexual nature are wildly vivid and greatly filmed. Drama is fine too, well acted by the two main stars, I truly liked the way they composed their characters: you can't take your eyes off of Al-Kadhi, not just because he's the lead but specially because he brings qualities and appeal that makes of Ramsey a character you might have known in reality; while Gleaves as the straight/married man brings back memories from similar themed films, frightened of something yet menacing and with rude ways, trying to figure out the inner confusion in his life...as a gay man who can't accept himself and poses of something else.
So, bring it on the feature film on this because my only problem with this was the running time. A longer time, with more layers and more complexities (and even different ending) would be something I'd really like to see. 8/10
