Corey, a young gay man, is in a downward spiral upon being ghosted following what he believed to be a night of genuine connection. We begin with the hook-up [our inciting incident] that allows him to feel briefly seen for the first time in a long time. This feeling carries him along a compromising journey of other hook-ups. We watch as he moves like a detective of sorts using his body as currency in order to get closer to the man who has ghosted him. His avenues consist of: dating apps, social media, and some light stalking - all while ignoring the warnings of a therapist he won't stop calling. In this journey, he discovers that the man he hopes to find is in an open relationship with a partner waiting at home and that in the time since their encounter the man has died in an accident. Corey feels encumbered by his yearning, his desire to connect, his obsessive need to close the loop causing him to turn his efforts onto the partner of the deceased. We find in the end that the two characters may unexpectedly understand each other more than anyone.
Film Synopsis
“This story is important to me as I think it uses the context of queerness and online dating culture to scratch at a universal feeling of wanting to be seen. I myself went through a period in my life of feeling outside of my body like I would do anything for someone to tell me I was loved and wanted, rather than overbearing. The opening poem of the film which is also the initial nugget of the idea for this piece is one I wrote for and about myself at a particularly low point. It was a response to the slaughter floor of dating apps, sex apps, etc. which can be genuine means of finding connection, but are fleeting and never satiating.
This is where the symbolism of the Bottom Feeder comes into play. It’s this imagery of a creature, of Corey, scouring the floor of his tank looking and feasting on the world’s lost and forgotten specs of affection. I am excited to turn my own desire into a narrative that hopefully moves others. I have shared the script with several queer friends and I’ve found there to be a real relatable and necessary core to this piece: that we are all capable of being seen.”
Director’s Vision
——— Ethan Manuel Homen