Julien Leyre | Honeypot / 2010

toilet tango

by Douglas Messerli

 

Julien Leyre (screenwriter and director) Honeypot / 2010 [6 minutes]

 

It’s late at night. A man, Sam Taylor (Matthew Keating) stands outside a cottage waiting obviously for a sexual meetup.

     An Asian guy (so the credits designate his role) (Nick Teoh) approaches walking back and forth several times before Sam in an almost ritual determination of whether or not it’s safe. Finally, Sam enters the cottage. And soon after the Asian follows.

     Sam is already at the urinal, and Nick (the name I’ll give him) stands next to him. Indeed, there are only two urinals in this small men’s room.

      Sam looks over at Nick, and slowly backs away a bit from the urinal and moves slightly in the other man’s direction. He smiles at Nick, and Nick, a bit more carefully, smiles back.

      Now Nick moves a bit to the left toward Sam, both standing somewhat away from the urinals, making it quite clear that they’re not there to urinate.

      Sam’s right hand goes up his back so that Nick can have a better view of his cock, and Nick moves his hand toward the other man's penis. But at that very moment, Sam flashes a gold badge, making it clear he’s a detective, and grabs his hand as if he might cuff it.

      Nick, however, pushes him away, and Sam pushes back as they manipulate each other around the room, their first somewhat in violent gestures quickly turning into a real tango as they dance around the small space, pushing and pulling one another into deep hugs and momentary clinches before dancing off once more.

    Suddenly they stand close, face to face, and begin to rub their faces against each other, ending in what might be a kiss before they again return to their pushes and pulls.

      Again they come together, Nick finally pushing Sam to the floor. He follows him down straddling Sam’s body for what almost becomes a kiss, before moving down slowly, his head disappearing out of camera range in what is appears to be leading to fellatio.

       Sam pants in anticipation, but turns to watch the Asian guy walk out of the cottage, leaving same what appears as desperate frustration.

       British director Julien Leyre has been able to convert the dozens of artificial gestures and signals of bathroom sex into a equally passionate artificial for of tango and something akin to an Apace dance.  

       A “honeypot,” in case you are unacquainted with the less common definitions is 1) Someone who is attractive or desirable and 2) A decoy or trap that attracts people or things into a scam or scheme.

       In this case, both attractive men drew each other into the decoy, the policeman waiting to possibly arrest his victim, the attractive Asian to provide the detective with sex. Neither has been trapped, and both are left panting with unfulfilled desire a film’s end.

 

Los Angeles, September 24, 2024

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (September 2024).