As far as gay mecca’s go, Fire Island is one of those and not everyone ends up there. It’s entertaining just to hear some of the stories of those who went. Recently, I watched a film on Hulu called Fire Island, and I felt lieke I was right there. I don’t know what I was expecting. Entertainment. Eye Candy. An Expose’. The ability to sit back and say “See, it isn’t all THAT!”. Nevertheless, I learned a lot from this film that I want to share.
Directed by Andrew Ahn, the film stars a very believable, charming cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully. Yes, I realize this was from 2022 but I just got access to Hulu so don’t get your Andrew Christians in a knot. All of these characters center largely around a home on Fire Island owned by a character played by Margaret Cho who in the middle of their ritual summer visit discovers she will have to sell and this will be their last visit. The crux of the plot is how one best friend decides to surrender any fun he is going to have for a mission to get his other best friend happy and laid. However, things become a lot more complicated for the two of them and their lives are potentially changed forever as a result.
What Came Up For Me:
On one negative side for this film, but a reality in gay culture, was the flippant portryal of drug use and the normalization of it. One character who abstained protested at one point that they weren’t pushing on him to do it as normal and the response was “Oh girl, we’ve given up on you being fun anymore.” To which the character frowns and does eventually take something later on. Ick.
This reminded me of gay parties I went to where I was called “boring” if I didn’t constantly have a drink in my hand, and I eventually got away from that scene all together where their was a lot of alcohol and drugs. Not because I’m against drinking or smoking things like pot. I’m not a prude though I like to have a different brand than that. But the real reason is that the people who do that on a regular basis are often suppressing something, addicts and not indepth people you can hold real relationships with for that long. They won’t tolerate you without bringing you down at some point. That’s just been my experience, and you learn from the burns, I always say.
Which, brings me to more positive aspects I was surprised to learn in this film. Yes, you see the partying, yes you see the hot looking guys, but as these two best friends look for one of them to get laid, something magical happens. He legit falls for someone and the person has legit feelings back. Now, as the best friend is trying to protect his buddy like a helicopter mom from all the vipers surrounding that situation, it just so happens he too also ends up setting his eyes on two guys. One is a real hottie for all outward appearences and the other a is real stoic and hyper-protective of the love interest of the best friend. So, he is having double trouble.
While the friend pushes and pushes to get his best friend laid with the love interest or to move on and find someone else, there is this real touching scene where the best friend tells him that he wants to be vulnerable. He wants the feelings. He wants the romance. He wants the pain (at this point in the film there was a seperation). He didn’t want to numb it like everyone else on the island. Powerful scene. I don’t know too many gay men in my life that want to be that vulnerable unless it’s in a therapy group. I’ve been in so many so I know!
You get to see shallow life in all it’s all glory. The best friend’s love interest is in wealthy home on Fire Island where he shares with some other rich hotties also. Anytime the crew from Maragret Cho’s house come over, they are looked down upon except by the love interest. I’ve also heard of these exclusive parties on Fire Island that are by invitation only. Only the wealthy and those with the glorified bodies get to attend (but the film notes that everyone gets to attend the underware party. Well, as the Church Lady would say, “Isn’t that special?”)
I remember being a part of gay organizations and clubs and people being hurt and offended that they weren’t invited to some social soiree. It hurts when you feel uninvited. A friend I have had for several years is model perfect, and I invited him into one of my gay clubs, and gay men would rudely step in between us to talk to him while almost quite physically pushing me aside. Men who never spoke to me before would ask how I got to know him. There are always sharks swimming at surface and that is why you have to find people who will go deeper, be vulnerable and people you only see when you are out socializing at parties aren’t those kind of people. I had to learn this hard but that doesn’t mean you do.
There is another surprising thing I learned in this film. The stoic, nerdy helicopter guy turned out to be the hottest guy. I was surprised by my own feelings on this one! He is so closed off in the beginning of this film, and I know people like this. You can foresee the best friend who is trying to match make his other friend, that he is going to fall for him. You see it in the way immediately butt heads and the continued tension between them is Sasha Fierce. Then, when another love interest comes into a play, a real hottie named Dex, then you really aren’t sure how they will ever discover their interest for one another. However, as Dex’s, shall we say lower qualities are revealed, and these two get one another to crack each other’s shells, they have a small love story all their own. While caregiving for their friends, sacraficing their their fun time there, they find love. It is real sweet because you can see how difficult it is for them for the whole movie.
As the movie ended, I thought about who was the happiest in this film at the end of the story? The hung-over partiers? The guys in speedos in their six pack abs trying to look perfect for social media content? The druggies? The people have sex and more sex? I’m sure that it was fun, but it is short lived and they will need it all over again. Even the rest of the characters dancing with them, were they as happy as the couples in love? It’s those couples that made real relationships with each other who are the most content because when they leave that island they won’t just go back to their everyday lives as usual. They are changed. They have opened up, found love and relationship. Something tells me I don’t think people go to Fire Island looking for that. I can understand that. It’s as the film starts off calling it, “Gay Disneyland”. You don’t go to Disneyland to find love as to have some distraction and a good time. Many times in the film they talk about how time seems to stand still and the otherwordly nature there surrounded by a sexual and party energy. I can understand just going there to dig that or gathering with people you know to have a good time. I would like that too but I also want more out of life.
What I realize about myself watching that film is I am that “best friend” who wants the romance, “the feels”, and the vulnerability. I do social things often in hopes to find good friends and a love of my life, which probably is really silly. But it looked real good in that movie tonight so I think I will be okay with it for now. I’ve done a few “Gay Disneylands” here and there, maybe I will again but I’m not a regular visitor for a reason. I want more out of life and I’m finding it.
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