Written and Directed by newcomer Darius Clark Monroe, the short film “Slow” gives viewers a (somewhat) realistic view of an “online hookup” between masculine gay men. Dope cinematography and believable acting give this an authentic “fly on the wall” feel that made me almost uncomfortable watching.
 
Even the logline of the film is eerily familiar:
“26yo, DDF, 5′ 11”, 185 fit. 7 cut. Vers. Looking to host now. 420 is cool. Send a face pic.”
 
I’ve seen and even written similar text as the above before in online sex/dating profiles (to be completely honest, the above text kinda describes my type of guy – maybe just a bit shorter though), so if Darius is not gay himself [which I doubt], I’d be impressed with the amount of “research” he put into this project.

While I think the ending is a little far-fetched, this short film still gets props for not resorting to the usual flamboyant stereotypes of Gay Black Men. Also, I can forgive the script’s shortcomings because of Darius’ excellent directing and casting. Carlton Byrd and Harvey Gardner Moore are definitely two very attractive, talented brothers that we should applaud for performing in this film, whether they are themselves gay/bisexual or not.

The film also raises the interesting topic (that we’ll discuss in another post) of how some guys just want sex and others want a potential relationship.

DISCLAIMER: The short features some nudity so its technically NSFW.

– Nick