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In the summer of '92, amid the AIDS crisis, high school senior VINNY (Jordi Bertrán Ramírez) grapples with his sexuality in a sleepy Catskills town after his first intimate encounter with GABE (River Dee Knight), a goth boy from the city. Their second date, under a crumbling bridge by the Delaware River, turns nightmarish when Vinnie uses a Ouija board to conjure CHRIS (Jack Quinn), an overprotective spirit. As Vinnie battles with the specter of fear and shame in the wake of his first sexual encounter, Gabe finds himself in a love triangle like no other.
The script springs from my own coming out story. At 17, I was a scrawny weirdo artist craving my first sexual experience, which finally happened with a goth boy from the city. By the morning, my mind was on fire with shame and fear. Naïve to the max, I was brainwashed into believing I was marked for death by the relentless assertions of priests, politicians, and even my own family members that AIDS was divine punishment for queers like me.
Meanwhile, my best friend and I were summoning a spirit named Chris on a Ouija board. Eventually, I started conjuring Chris solo on a board I made just for him. After the bitter aftermath of my first sexual encounter, I turned to Chris to break things before they even got started! Do I still think Chris was real? Perhaps not, but I recognize the significance he held for me.
The film was produced by renowned writer/director Todd Stephens, known for acclaimed films such as Edge of 17, Gypsy 83, and most recently Swan Song starring Udo Kier and Jennifer Coolidge. Cinematography by Brian Rigney-Hubbard. Casting by Eve Battaglia.
I recently finished writing the feature version titled Psuedo-Realistic Monsters.
IN POST PRODUCTION
SHOOT: 2024
RELEASE: 2025
WINNER: 2024 PRINCESS GRACE SPECIAL PROJECT GRANT
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