Dirty
On Relationships • 07-Oct-2020
Marco cuts class to spend the afternoon with his boyfriend, Graham, in this tender portrait of young love and intimacy. Matthew Puccini’s “Dirty” is minimal but lush, a coming-of-age snapshot that tackles an uncomfortable first-time sexual experience with sensitivity and warmth. After ditching school, Marco and Graham arrive at Marco’s home with a clear agenda — the more experienced of the two, Graham, is calm and patient while Marco is self-conscious and nervous. The encounter is shown in forthright detail and captures the awkwardness and fumbling in the lead-up to the act, and the uneasy aftermath when things don’t go exactly as planned. Puccini maintains a delicate precision of mood, and gets great performance from Morgan Sullivan and Manny Dunn. See also: Puccini’s 2017 short, “The Mess He Made” (which won two NoBudge Awards), a riveting character study of a man waiting for the results of his rapid HIV test at a small-town strip mall.
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