Down (working title)

music track – jack phillips presents ready for the weekend #207

film synopsis

DOWN

A middle aged man who tries to get over a past lover by having a hedonistic weekend, that turns dark as the drugs kick in.

PNP teaser poster

DOWN is the story of Glenn, a middle aged male who is having a hard time getting over a past lover. He tries to numb the pain by having a “pnp – Party ‘n Play” weekend with a few online hookups, in this post covid climate.
He invites Tim, a younger African American male, who shares his interest of photography and weed. Tim’s chill night is interrupted when Glenn invites Kal, a PnP hookup comes over.
As the night and the drugs kick in, we learn Glenn’s true nature. He is having one last hurrah before he goes down a dark path of no return.

links: Cast Notice | Crew Notice | IMDB

director’s statement

There’s a new epidemic in the hookup culture where certain gay men only enjoy the company of other users. Reading the news and hearing personal stories, you see the damage in terms of loss; of work, families and even lives. Today everyone uses hook-up apps to connect, date and have sex. The internet has made it easy for people to abuse and exploit, as others look for companionship. This subculture is thriving domestically and internationally. Most people, don’t know the horror stories and only see this as something to do on a weekend to escape the mundane.

As a filmmaker, I try to do work that not only challenges me, but shows something we haven’t seen before. That’s why I’m drawn to this subculture as a theme for the film. I try to tell stories that reflect our society and are diverse in nature from social economic, racial and political lines. After reading several domestic and international news stories, I started connecting this theme to the loss of a loved ones and how some people deal with loss and isolations. The Covid-19 pandemic added another layer to the isolation and loneliness theme. I wanted to touch on the idea of loss and letting go.