Adrià Llauró | Alirón / 2019

subconscious misunderstandings

by Douglas Messerli

 

Adrià Llauró (screenwriter and director) Alirón / 2019 [6 minutes]

In Alirón Fran (Adrián Expósito) and Marc (Eudald Font) have come together on a couch to watch their favorite soccer team, an event they clearly hold as something nearly sacred. Marc arrives at Fran’s apartment, having forgotten to bring along a TV set, so they have to watch the match on Fran’s computer, which while he visits to the toilet, Marc begins to set up for the game. But upon opening it he sees an open site “Sex with Your Best Friend,” immediately feeling a bit uncomfortable, which he shows by moving over when the shirtless Fran returns to declare that every time he pees he gets a hard on.

    A few seconds later, at an exciting moment in the game, Fran grabs hold his friend’s knee as he rises a bit from his seat. Marc suggests Fran might want to put his shirt on, suggesting “You’ll be more comfortable, right?” Fran, a bit confused by the request, nonetheless complies.

   Finally, a bit more settled, Marc still feels quite uncomfortable being so close to his friend’s handsome body, particularly when Fran states that he’s been thinking if he could have sex with whoever he wanted or have dinner with Messi, he might choose the dinner with his “god.”*

     Now hardly able to look at his friend’s face, Mac covers his eyes, looking away from the screen as he suddenly feels Fran’s fingers on his arms, evidently removing a bit of “fluff,” as Fran explains when Marc jumps at the sudden sensation. “I think I’d better leave,” he announces to his friend, who understandably argues that he’s just arrived.

     “I don’t know, I just don’t feel good,” he answers as Fran attempts to hand him a beer, Marc already rising from the couch, forcing some of the beer to spill over Marc’s crotch. Fran jumps up to get a towel, returning as Marc opens himself up to the effort of Fran’s blotting up the liquid. Fran wonders what he’s waiting for; is he expecting him to clean it up.

  

      Even more distressed, Marc puts his left leg over his right as Fran comments on a goal made by Messi. As Fran picks up a beer to swig it down, the sound of the film suddenly lowers, as Marc turns to watch his sexy friend’s long slurp of beer, liquid dripping from his mouth.

      And now Fran fears he cut himself with the edge of the can, wondering if he’s bleeding. Marc quickly says, “No,” but Fran perceives he’s not even looking in his direction. Pushing his face toward Marc, Fran suggests he look into his mouth to see if it’s been cut, and without seemingly any hesitation, Marc leans in to kiss it, shocking Fran, who clearly wants to know what’s going on: “What are you doing moron?”

      Jumping up, Marc shouts out “For fuck sake Fran! I can’t deal anymore with this fucking tension. I mean, we can do it and get it over with [my correction of the subtitles].”

      When Fran says he hasn’t a clue what Marc is talking about, his friend explains that he’s seen the introductory page on the computer. But Fran explains it’s his sister’s computer, not his.

      “What...so...you don’t...?”

      Marc sits back down clearly ashamed and, perhaps, somewhat disappointed.

      Still watching the game religiously, Fran suggests that a player was offside. “That’s not offside. I don’t know what the fuck it is,” Marc replies

      They continue watching for a few more moments, Fran offering up the words, “We’ll see what we do during the break, okay?”

      Marc responding, “But no pressure, eh.”

      It’s a skit, but also a score not only near the “funny bone” but to the heart of unspoken male friend desires.

 

Los Angeles, July 12, 2021