TL;DR
- Reed Birney admits expecting backlash from Blue Film was foolish.
- The film explores taboo themes and a controversial plot.
- It struggled to find distribution and was blacklisted from festivals.
- Birney reflects on the character’s complex motivations.
- Blue Film releases in NYC and LA in May.
In a world where cinema often pushes boundaries, Reed Birney is no stranger to controversy, especially with his latest film, Blue Film. The actor recently expressed that it was “kind of foolish” not to anticipate the backlash surrounding this provocative project, which delves into some seriously taboo themes that have left audiences reeling.
Blue Film follows the story of Aaron Eagle, played by Kieron Moore, a well-known camboy who is hired for a night with a much older man, Hank Grant, portrayed by Birney. But hold on to your popcorn—things take a dark twist when Aaron discovers that Hank is actually his former middle school teacher, who was fired for an attempted sexual assault on a 12-year-old student. Talk about a plot that raises eyebrows!
Birney, who also serves as an executive producer, shared his thoughts with Entertainment Weekly, stating, “As soon as you say paedophile, everybody has such a strong and undeniable reaction to it.” And he’s not wrong. The film’s subject matter has made it a hot topic, struggling to find a distributor and getting blacklisted from major film festivals worldwide. It’s no surprise that audiences have had mixed reactions—some even walked out during its screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
But why did Birney think it would be any different? “I don’t think I thought that it was gonna be as controversial as it was, which is kind of foolish in retrospect,” he admitted. “Of course, it was gonna be controversial, but I just think I thought it was such a beautiful character study.” And beautiful it may be, but it’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
Director Elliot Tuttle drew from his own experiences, journaling about his younger self’s fantasies about male teachers, and trying to explore adolescent sexuality through the lens of this complex narrative. Birney mentioned that watching the documentary Pervert Park helped him approach the film’s sensitive themes with more empathy. “They were regular folks with this terrible demon,” he noted, emphasizing the humanity behind the characters.
In his portrayal, Birney suggested that Hank should not be depicted as a predator or someone who actively pursues, but rather as someone who is aware of the danger he poses. “So he is able to abstain for the most part. I think that made a huge difference in signing on,” he explained.
As Blue Film gears up for its release in New York City on May 8 and Los Angeles on May 15, the question remains: will audiences be ready for this challenging narrative? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure—this film is bound to spark conversations that we can’t ignore. So grab your friends, your courage, and prepare for a cinematic experience that’s anything but ordinary. Who’s ready to dive into the drama?