This short will have you feeling both uncomfortable and raw.
That isn’t a friendly warning for you to turn away and not watch it because by all means, this is a phenomenal piece of work. But the intensity of the emotions and the breakdown of a relationship are so undeniably real that watching it will no doubt make you relive those past loves that just didn’t end happily ever after.
We’re Having Sex is written and directed by Michael Callahan and stars Brandon Bales and Hannah Peal Utt as David and Kate, a couple who have spent quite a bit of time in their comfort zone. When Kate realises that it’s been a while since they have had sex, she tries to suggest it to David who is less than keen to do it. However, it soon becomes apparent that it isn’t the sex that’s the problem, both of them have lost the affection and lust that makes love much more than companionship.
Callahan superbly lays bare a realistic love that gradually falls away at the seams. With Bales and Utt portraying extremely strong characters, We’re Having Sex becomes less of a romantic comedy than you think it is going to be and resonates with this painful comfort where passion has been traded for friendship. Rather than break up, the pair have become accustomed to this clunky routine that neither fulfils nor excites anymore. With each attempt at capturing that excitement, the couple are driven further away and it becomes harder to connect.
The awkwardness of being with someone you aren’t sure you want to be with anymore oozes with each second feeling more tense and long. The effective use of stripping back the audio makes the film feel naked and uncovered. Building towards a long take and honestly, emotionally brutal end scene, this short is haunting and full of anguish.
And a lot of people will relate to it’s unnerving series of event.
