Getting Acquainted With the 'Fourplay' Crew

in

By Jessica Pugh

Because Fourplay is such a unique film and could potentially appeal to only a select audience, I wasn't sure if there would be a full house at the Alamo Village the night I planned to see it. I could not have been more wrong. We were at full capacity, and there was excitement in the air to see what former Austinite Kyle Henry's movie would present.

After talking to producer Jason Wehling before the Fourplay screening, I asked him what someone should expect from Fourplay. He casually stated, "You might be offended, you definitely will be challenged." The audience didn't seem to be as anxious about the film as I was. Several people ordered a few drinks, and were casually chatting.

When the film ended, cast and crew gathered at the front of the theater for a Q&A and discussion about the film. The movie is an anthology of four shorts each set in a different city. Overall, "Tampa" stood out as far as sexual explicitness. Viewers seemed impressed with Henry and writer Carlos Trevino's boldness to not hold back, and construct a homosexual orgy experience where literally anything goes! However, it was "San Francisco" that seemed to complete Henry's desire to make sex a meaningful central part of a character's existence. It was a heartfelt experience, and I think it was a fantastic ending to the Fourplay series.

It wasn't even until the end of the movie that I realized how lucky we were to have so many of the main actors and crew present at the screening. Director Henry, producer Wehling, writer Trevino, and production designer Caroline Karlen were present. It was interesting to see their interpretation of the film and how they got involved.

Also, actors Cyndi Williams ("San Francisco"), Jose Villarreal ("Tampa"), Paul Soileau ("San Francisco") and Atticus Rowe ("Austin") took the stage for the Q&A. All had wonderful things to say about Kyle Henry and his eagerness to jump head first in different styles of filmmaking.

The fact that Fourplay was a combination of four different short stories is a unique filmmaking style, and in my opinion was one of the things that made the film's central theme about humanizing sexual experiences stand out.

Jessica Pugh is an intern with the Austin Film Society.