OUTFEST 2015: THAT'S NOT US



Alex (Sarah Wharton) and Jackie (Nicole Pursell) in That's Not Us.



Three pairs to find

By Miranda Inganni

Early fall, Fire Island, New York. Three couples head to a beach-side cottage to ostensibly enjoy the fading sunlight. In reality, the six 20-somethings discuss their relationship problems in director William Sullivan’s That’s Not Us.

Alex (Sarah Wharton) and her girlfriend, Jackie (Nicole Pursell), have hit a sexual impasse -- as in, they aren’t having any. Jackie’s sister, Liz (Elizabeth Gray), and her new husband, Dougie (Tommy Nelms), are having plenty of sex, but are not completely open with each other. Spencer (David Rysdahl) and his boyfriend, James (Mark Berger), might as well be newlyweds with the amount of sexy times they are enjoying, but are not sure how much longer it will last with Spencer’s recent acceptance to school in Chicago.

Though all six are more than comfortable talking -- all the time -- about their problems, they are not so good about actually communicating. What should be a fun weekend getaway quickly turns to tension and trouble. Dougie seriously injures himself while learning to ride a bike at Liz’s near-dictatorial insistence. Spencer finally admits that he wants to head to Chicago for school, leaving New York and the fate of his relationship with James in question. Alex tries to reignite the passion between her and Jackie with a rainbow dildo, but the gesture falls flat as their romance limps flaccidly along. All three couples seem to live by the idea that they can potentially fix their problems by talking about them repeatedly. At least they have very pretty scenery around them in which they can do all this talking.

Shot over eight days with improvised dialogue based on a loose story co-written by Sullivan and director Derek Dodge, That’s Not Us stays true to the romantic comedy formula of happy endings. The acting is commendable and the improvisation impressive.

 

 

That's Not Us screens at Oufest, tonight, 9:30 p.m., DGA 2. For more information: TNU.