PARK CITY – It’s 2024. Are you ready for a movie set in the pandemic summer of 2020? Or, like September 11th, another historical event that was hard for Americans to stomach on screen for a good while, do you need a decade or so to process? Your answer to those questions will likely, for better or worse, determine your opinion of Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions” which debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. And, despite its faults, we’re guessing the NEON release will age better as a snapshot of the tail end of a particular New York City queer millennial era a few years down the road than at this specific juncture.
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Hey, some stories need time to cook. This is probably one of them.
Written, directed, edited, and starring Hammel herself, “Stress Positions” begins with Terry (John Early), a gay man taking every precaution possible a few months into the COVID crisis. Somehow injuring himself constantly, his mostly stay-at-home existence in a somewhat dilapidated Brooklyn townhouse has found him caring for his 19-year-old nephew Bahlul (a very talented Qaher Harhash) who is recuperating from being hit by a car and breaking his leg. Terry is attempting to keep Bahlul a secret from nearly everyone including one of his good friends, Karla (Hammel), a massage therapist and, to put it mildly, a fearlessly flirtatious transwoman. Karla is having issues with her girlfriend Vanessa (Amy Zimmer) and invites herself over to Terry’s where, as expected, she immediately becomes intoxicated by Bahlul. Things take a turn for the dramatic when Terry’s older husband, Leo (John Roberts), returns from Europe with his new boyfriend in tow in an attempt to get Terry to sign their divorce papers. Watching over the entire proceedings, via hidden video cameras, is Coco (Rebecca F. Wright), a mysterious older woman who lives on the top floor of Terry and Leo’s building. The real judge and jury, however, turns out to be Bahlul, who has already had a life 100 times more interesting and challenging than the narcissistic bunch he’s trapped with.
As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly obvious that Hammel has a lot of insightful thoughts she wants to spotlight about these particular characters. And, to be clear, this is a group of very specific Millennial New York queers. Regardless of their progressive leanings, you may soon begin to hate them and that’s before you realize they are taking advantage of almost every person of color they encounter. In fact, despite his nephew being of Moroccan descent, Terry can’t conceal his longstanding prejudices regarding Muslim people (at one point he seems to remark that the post-Sept. 11th wars were justified). Kara, on the other hand, is incredibly self-centered and would rather find a good shag than join her girlfriend at a Black Lives Matter protest. And we still can’t figure out how Leo got to Europe and back during this period, but he cares more about partying than the health of those around him. Again, they are not the greatest people, and to suggest they may grate on you is something of an understatement. That seems to be exactly Hammel is going for, but it crosses a line and often undermines the proceedings (the tone of Early’s performance not syncing up with his co-stars doesn’t help).
When Hammel shifts the focus to Bahlul “Stress Positions” begins to come alive. This character’s perspective and story are much more intriguing than anything else on screen, but by the time he takes center stage, it almost feels like you’re watching a different film. And when the movie ends a short while later you wish you were following Bahlul on whatever journey they are beginning to embark on. Hammel has talent and something to say that’s worth paying attention to. There’s a spark of something there, eventually. It’s a little messy, but it’s definitely there. It also just might take a while before you want to hear it. [B-/C+]
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