'Straight Up' - Movie Review

Written by, directed by, and starring James Sweeney - as Todd, a gay man who's deeply uncomfortable with sex and bodily fluids. He's OCD and neurotic, and seeing a psychoanalyst. When he decides he might as well try being straight, nobody thinks it's a good idea. Despite which he meets and starts seeing Meg (Katie Findlay) who's equally as intelligent, articulate, and screwed up as he is.

The movie is shot in 4:3, which is really unusual these days. I have to admit I didn't like that aspect of the filming (no pun intended ...) - but whoever did the cinematography more than made up for it. On a tiny budget they got great locations and did gorgeous shots.

The dialogue comes at you at a blistering pace. It's intelligent and thoughtful and expects you to pay attention. It's also often very funny. The movie asks the question "does our society allow 'love' separate from 'sex?'" and the corollary question "should it?"

A word about the writing - and what (well, the acting too) makes this movie so good. Todd's character is over-the-top - in fact, Meg isn't too far behind. And yet they're also deeply human and amazingly relatable.