Exteriors

This film is anthology of three stories. As per the director he wanted to take ideas of coincidence and past experiences manifesting themselves into present lives with three separate stories of three gay men and their connections to three of the characters. It is a film where concerning person in each story are drawn to each other for their shared love of gamesmanship. Some characters are in love, while others think they are, but they are all skilled at deception. They all, to some extent, use their wit and charm to play at relationships that are more about power and control than any thoughts of love and sex. While they may not be honest with each other, they are all honest about their desire for physical intimacy.

Wyatt - The first story shows Wyatt walking with his best friend Logan, hearing how Logan has met this new guy Shane and he has feelings for him. Little does he know that Shane is Wyatt's ex. Wyatt goes to meet Shane to understand on why he is playing with Logan by cooking up stories. Also it seems that these two guys have still not gotten over their relationship completely. Shane, on the other hand, is struggling with his own feelings of guilt and uncertainty. He knows that he loves both of them, but he doesn’t know who to choose. The story explores the complexities of love, friendship, and betrayal. Wyatt's character is is catty, selfish, and deceitful, managing to manipulate the audience’s emotions and even gaining some of our sympathy despite the bitterness that seems to leap off the screen.

Jason - This story explores the pasts of two characters and how memory can be both empowering and unreliable. Jason, a pool cleaner is working on house during which the house gets a visitor Kenny. Jason remembers him as the guy he had met 8 years ago for one night stand and they had a great time. But Kenny remembers the encounter differently than Jason does, and both men must navigate their feelings as they explore this reunion and what it means to them. An interesting and moving story of two almost strangers looking for company in each other for very different reasons.

Dr Lesh - The last story is the best and most ambitious and can be easily made into a fun fledged film. A shrink becomes obsessed with patient who has a dark past and has been talking to the doctor about this new guy who he has met. Back home, the shrink is going through a difficult time with his husband because of this. Little does he know that the new guy his patient has met is none other than his husband. Mind games are played by both the doctor and the patient in a way that you do not expect. The end is really good.

Exteriors explores the dark side of human nature, and it shows how even the most intelligent and articulate people can be seduced by their own desires. the characters in the film are all ultimately self-destructive and alone. They don’t seem to understand each other or themselves. They know how to go through the motions of social interaction, but they are unable to form genuine connections with other people. Having said that, the three stories has no interconnection as such and are three standalone stories made by same director put in the same film. Except the third film, the first two story goes through a lot of talking and dialogues and they are quite slow. Overall, just an average film. (4/10)