Those People | Dir: Joey Khun | Perth International Queer Film Festival

Joey Khun’s debut feature film is set in the Upper East Side of New York among the privileged elites where it explores the themes of friendship, commitment and honesty.

Charlie (Jonathon Gordon) is studying to be a painter. His latest assignment was supposed to be a self portrait but instead he painted an image of his best friend Sebastian. It’s not the first time he’s painted his best friend.

When the two catch up they hang out in Sebastian’s million dollar apartment reciting the lyrics to Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Their clique of friends look down on the rest of society and when Charlie is caught flirting with a piano player in a downtown bar, his friends tease him for slumming it with lowlifes.

Sebastian has a lot going on his life, his father is in jail convicted of running a dodgy financial scheme, the paparazzo stalk him when he leaves his apartment asking if he knew about his father’s crimes.

A visit to the concert hall reveals the piano player Charlie was chatting to is actually a world class concert pianist. Charlie reconnects with Tim, and begins a relationship, but he’s torn between his new relationship and his unrequited love for his manipulative best friend.

The film is beautifully shot and well acted. The characters are intriguing and dance a fine line between being engaging and being unlikable. Charlie’s journey to finding his own voice and personal identity, out of the shadow of his famous friend, is interesting.

The Perth International Queer Film Festival is on now, tickets to ‘Those People’ have sold out.