Leland Montgomery | Hotter Up Close / 2022

a new sexual planet

by Douglas Messerli

 

Christopher Matias Aguila (screenplay), Leland Montgomery (director) Hotter Up Close / 2022

[16 minutes]

 

Skinny, with a slightly too ovoid face, Chris (Christopher Matias Aguila) is about to celebrate his 30th birthday, but is a bit at odds with the world since his boyfriend, Brad (John David Williams), not only broke up with him, but who had been sleeping with what Chris describes as “every animal in the 100 acre wood,” utterly dismissed his former lover.

     His best friend and co-worker Dana (Liz Jenkins) insists he’ll find someone else. “What about that guy who comes into the shop?”

      “Aiden,” Chris nearly chokes on his drinking straw, “Are you insane. If I think Brad is out of my league, Aiden is, like, on a whole other, like sexual planet.”

      But at the moment it’s time for them to rush back to the coffee shop where they work as barristas.

     No sooner do they return to work, however, than the beautiful Aiden (Francisco San Martin) stops by, inviting them both to a pool party, causing Chris to nearly choke on the muffin his has just stuffed into his mouth.

      Chris quickly tries to squirm out of it invite, but Dana accepts for both of them, and even runs out to get a new pair of swimming trunks for her best friend.

      Although Chris has been listening to tapes in order to build up his self-confidence, one look at the stunningly bronzed muscled bodies in and around sends him into a tizzy. There is no way he might be able to fit in. Moreover, he lathers sunbathing lotion on his face that makes him look like a mime.

    Yet, Aiden does come out of the pool to greet the two, although a cutey in a yellow speedo, Marcus (Elijah Olachea) immediately calls him back into the pool to play whatever ball game they were engaged in.

      Chris leaves to pee, but immediately inside the house encounters her former boyfriend Brad, who’s just been fucking a highly effeminate individual named Indigo (Luke Millington-Drake), which makes things even worse. Yet, re-encountering his old flame does put some anger back into the generally spineless Chris, as he puts on his glasses and prepares to meet the world again—even if he knows it’s not his world.

     Fortunately, Leland Montgomery’s short film, with a script by the man who plays Chris, is a fantasy. And the moment Chris leaves the bathroom he runs into Aiden, who’s been looking for him. In fact, he wants a kiss.

      Chris is so stunned, he temporarily halts the kiss he’s dreamt of and demands an explanation, which Aiden gladly provides, explaining that he finds Chris funny, clever, and moreover, cute, and he is love with him. Chris asks one more question, this about Markus, in who Aiden quickly explains he’s not at all interested: “He’s real, real dumb.” And yes, they kiss, transporting the delighted lead actor into a new sexual planet.

       When Chris and Aiden exit the house, the whole party is singing happy birthday to him, Dana with cake in hand and the only straight man at the party (who Aiden declares has a large penis) breathing down her neck. How Aiden knows about his large penis is not explained, although Chris is clearly curious.

       There is absolutely nothing profound about Montgomery’s film, and nothing much to say about it. Except for his use of highly stereotypical figures, it’s what we used to describe as a sweet little flick with lots of pretty boys as a reward for watching it.

 

Los Angeles, January 17, 2025

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (January 2025).