Straight Up

Straight Up (2019) was written and directed by James Sweeney.

Director Sweeney plays Todd, who has OCD and many, many phobias. Todd's friends know he's gay, Todd's therapist knows he's gay, and--I think--Todd knows he's gay. The problem is that Todd really doesn't want to be gay.

He wants to be straight, especially after he meets Rory, portrayed by Katie Findlay. They are mutually attracted, and the start to live together. But . . .

Although this was a meant as a comedy, I found it poignant. Meeting the right person, when you're the wrong person, isn't really funny. Funny things happen along the way, but the basic premise is sad.

Sweeney does a good job, especially when you remember that he's directing himself. Katie Findlay is outstanding in her role.

Special acting credit goes to Tracie Thoms as Dr. Larson, Todd's ever-patient therapist.

This film had its New York State premiere at ImageOut, Rochester's great LGBT festival. (Remember that both NYC and Buffalo are larger than Rochester. Having a NYS premiere in Rochester takes special effort by the ImageOut selection committee.)

This is a film that will work on the small screen. Yes--it's set in California with views of the ocean, but it's about people, not scenery.

This movie hasn't had a large distribution. It's only been rated by 30 people. The good news is that those people gave it an extremely high rating of 8.1. I think it's even better than that.