The past few years we’ve seen such a great diversity of LGBTQ+ stories on screen, those that focus on coming out and coming-of-age, romance, and chosen family.
And while queer friendship certainly plays a role in many of these stories, movies that are actually about queer friendship are few and far between. But why should that be? These can be such complicated, nuanced relationships—especially for gay men, where the line between friend and FWB is often blurred.
So thank goodness for the upcoming indie Bad Together, a movie that follows the ever-evolving, sometimes supportive, sometimes ugly bond between two young gay guys.
Its story opens on Robbie (Andrés Erickson), fresh from a breakup and in a dark place. In other words, he could use a friend!
Enter Cameron (Queer Niro), the life of the party whose gravitational pull is impossible to resist. Despite his charms, he’s a bit aimless and always craving validation. He could use a friend, too.
When Robbie and Cameron meet, their need for companionship far outweighs any sense of incompatibility, so the odd couple forges a friendship that’s not so much mutually beneficial as it is serving their individual needs.
Image Credit:’Bad Together,’ Dekkoo Films
Over four years, the film traces the ebbs and flows of their relationship as they try to find a balance between the friend they think each other should be and the person they actually are. Can they learn to love themselves and actually be there for one another, or is this “toxic friendship” doomed form the start?
From writer/director Jono Mitchell, Bad Together comes from a very personal place, inspired by a tumultuous connection that had a lasting impact on the filmmaker:
“I have an incredible friend who changed my life,” Mitchell shares in a press statement. “He is so special to me, but circumstances within our current stages of life drove us apart. When everything changed, I had to accept the version of friendship that I idealized didn’t exist anymore. What we became is just as special, but I think I’ll always grieve for what we had.”
Produced by Dekkoo Films, Bad Together hits digital/VOD platforms on December 5, and will stream exclusively on Dekkoo beginning in 2024.
