Displaying items by tag: Remy Mars

CHASING PAVEMENT

US, 2015, 82 minutes, Colour.

Remy Mars, Tokio Sasaki, Antonio Biaggi, Zekee Silos.

Directed by Matthew Doyle.

A summary of the plot written by the writer-director, Matthew Doyle, for the IMDb.

Chasing Pavement stars Remy Mars as Elijah Young, an 'urban' porn star who is preparing to leave the adult entertainment industry and start a new career as a chef. His new roommate, Takeshi, played by Tokio Sasaki, is a Japanese immigrant who is looking for a new start in the information technology field. Takeshi, who feels completely invisible in the United States, becomes obsessed with his extremely visible flatmate. Takeshi's obsession culminates in a violation of boundaries that brings the two together for a moment of intimacy that neither will soon forget. The movie also stars Antonio Biaggi as Bryson Colon, a man with a troubled past who frequently hires Elijah as an escort, but wants much more.

A small budget, brief film, introducing the audience to a gay world (or portraying a gay world for the gay audience). It has much more substance to it, the characters, themes and exploration of themes, than might be expected. In fact, for a non-gay audience, it is a fairly calm and more objective portrayal of the characters and their interactions, helping for understanding the lives of these characters.

The central character is a former porn star, seen signing a contract but then moving back to New York and wanting to start a new life as a chef. At a takeaway, he encounters a Japanese migrant behind the counter who asks him for some accommodation. The Japanese man feels alone and unseen in the US and has ambitions for IT development. The arrangement is that he will stay at the stars apartment and build him a website. The film shows a strong developing friendship in the better qualities of the porn star (and revelations about his real name, unhappy childhood, moving away from home) but he still goes to various clients.

The central scene involves going to a client and a portrait of an eccentric man, wealthy, dominating, exploiting his gay orientation and life.

At another time, there is gathering by the star of a range of friends – an interesting sequence where they sit at the table enjoying the meal but talking, frankly, humorously, sometimes with anxiety, about their relationships and experiences.

The Japanese man is fascinated by the star, also has some prurient gazing at a neighbour and her boyfriend, breaks boundaries by looking at the wardrobe of the star – which leads him to a sexual encounter between the two. However, after this experience, the Japanese man packs up and disappears, leaving the star to ponder his experiences and to prepare for his future and leaving this past behind.