straight flirt
by Douglas Messerli
Harrison J. Bahe (screenwriter and director) The
Favor / 2011 [6 minutes]
This first edition of what might have been an entire
series of short sketches on Saturday Night Live (Bahe has made only two
films to date), is a clear example of a phenomenon which probably occurs far
more often than we know, but is seldom portrayed in LGBTQ cinema. A young
supposedly straight boy, played hilariously by Bogdan Korishey, knowing his
friend (Michael Henry) is gay and desires to have sex with him, flirts incessantly
with his bestie only to get what he ultimately wants—or perhaps in this first version
of the comical syndrome, just to toy with him, to keep him in his place.
Bog
calls up his Michael, almost panting out the provocative words in a pleading
tone while sucking on a small red lollipop:
“Hi Michael. Michael I need you for
something. Something very, very special Do you think you can help?”
“When do you need this?” asks his unsuspecting
friend
Jumping into the shower, dressing as hurriedly as he can, combing his
hair, Michael readies himself for the sexual encounter he’s obviously been waiting
for, racing as fast as is legally possible to reach Bog’s house. As he rings
the bell, the boy, now fully dressed stands ready at the door.
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“I need you to do something for me,” he
continues in the same sexually evocative voice, then dropping it entirely. “I
need you to take me to Walgreens.”
As you might suspect, Michael is
crest-fallen, disappointed beyond belief. “You want me to drive you to
Walgreens?”
“Yes,
is that all right?”
What
can you do when a friends need help, even if it isn’t the kind of help he had in
mind?
Michael apologizes and drives him the
drugstore, finally asking him what it is that he needs to buy.
“Condoms
for you and me,” Bogdan answers.
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Michael’s face lights up again with hope and
desire, and in the very next frame the boys are laying naked on a bed together,
with Bog claiming it’s best sex he’s ever had.
Strangely, Michael looks away, sad and
disgusted, clearly unhappy. “I didn’t like it,” he comments.
“Are
you serious? That was like the best sex we ever had.”
“Not
my favorite.”
“What are you gay?”
The
sex they have just had together has been with a female prostitute. And yes,
Michael is gay, despite the pretense they continue enact.
Bogdan grabs Michael’s billfold and plays
Chandelier, thanking her for the pleasure.
The boys lay quietly together for a few
seconds, Michael turned away from his friend.
Michael finally speaks out: “Are we going
to have sex or not?”
“I’m not gay!”
“Oh. (Pause.) Me neither.”
Los Angeles, May 21, 2024
Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog
(May 2024)
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