I don’t think we will get a more controversial, daring, edgier, wholly original film this year than Blue Film. it is the film seemingly no one wanted, but everyone should have. For the Letterboxed generation seeking A24 vibes and deep diving into the Criterion collection, some of that is meant to make you uncomfortable. It is meant to make you think about something you don’t, or never would have. When people reach out and start rewatching Come and See, because the internet has pushed interest its direction, it isn’t because that film is an easy film to sit through. Quite the opposite. I didn’t have audio description, and Blue Film is still very early in the running to be my Best Picture of the year. I’m a little shocked Obscured Releasing is having to put this out, and that A24 and neon, for all their bravado, stayed away. For that matter, kudos to the Edinburgh Film Festival for premiering this film, because it looks like no one else really wanted it. Blue Film was turned down from Sundance, which feels insane. While they did not publicly confirm their reasoning, rumors had that the subject matter absolutely had everything to do with it. Is Sundance becoming cozy? Considering the plot of their Grand Jury Prize Winner certainly isn’t a walk in the park, it might suggest Sundance audiences are a bit more frisky in their risk taking than they would assume.

I had no idea this was coming until I saw other critics I admire reviewing it, and they struggled with its content and messaging as well. It certainly has that element to it, and by no means does it offer easy answers.I mention rather frequently my favorite actor, in every possible way is Brian Cox. Part of that stems from going through his filmography, which led me to a little indie he did in 2001 called L.I.E. The movie had the misfortune of releasing on what would be the box office weekend following 9/11, and on top of that, it had this subject material to deal with. It must have done something right, because it launched the career of Paul Dano, and director Michael Cuesta went on to work on Homeland with Showtime. So, it isn’t like LIE didn’t have a positive influence on those who were in it. But, it is another film designed to make you uncomfortable, which walks right up to the line, and manages to weave a whole bunch of misfortune in for the leads, at every possible angle.

Blue Film does have the opportunity to broach a similar topic, but with two adult cast members. We meet Aaron Eagle (Kieron Moore) who is an overtly masculine cam boy, whose brand is entirely around a hyper masculine persona, often using slurs to refer to his male audience, presumably because they like being debased. He ends up getting an offer he should have refused, which is to meet one of his fans in person, for a rather large sum of money. His tough guy act follows him, proving the bravado is realized as courage as he agrees to meet the fan. When he gets there, he’s greeted by an older man wearing a mask. At first, he asks Aaron a bunch of questions, to which Aaron is trying to avoid answering with full transparency. The man can tell Aaron isn’t being truthful, and when Aaron has had enough, he challenges the man who claims to know him so well, that he knows he’s lying. That is when the man uses his real name, showing Aaron that this is someone who knew him before his porn life, and when push comes to shove, the man takes off his mask revealing himself as Hank Graham (Reed Bierney), Aaron’s teacher from middle school.

And if your skin just crawled a little, we’re not done. Aaron remembers Hank had been fired, but after he left that grade, and Hank was caught trying to molest one of his male students, for which he spent time in jail, found God, and is now supposedly on a different path. However, one thing has been nagging at him. Hank has been in love with the 12 year old version of Aaron. He wants to see if he still is. I know. There were moments in this film where I could not believe what was happening, and certainly moments I wanted clarification from audio description, but I’m glad I didn’t see this with anyone. Sometimes, being uncomfortable in a group setting is just weird. Kudos to everyone going to physical theaters to see this. I imagine there are lots of gasps.

I got you to the narrative point that you now have enough information to know if this is right for you. It’s a fair point, because someone who was a victim of sexual assault, may not have the bandwidth to even give this a chance. While the film is only these two actors, so no kids are involved, it also doesn’t shy away from discussing Hank’s pedophilia in full and open nature. How does he see himself, does he realize it is wrong, what does he hope to gain here, what does he do with himself on a normal basis to keep kids safe? Aaron, who is quite open to anything, pushes back, but also seemingly has a craving for being desired, so as he is repulsed, he is also compelled. He oddly finds himself constantly pushing back and forth against the idea of wish fulfillment, or heading for the door. And for someone who is a version of sex worker now as an adult, Aaron is not your ideal protagonist either. Many would want to pry at who Aaron is, and what makes him tick,to get to the core of why he does what he does, but it is kind of like trying to decide if you deal with an earthquake or a tidal wave. Sure, the earthquake likely will disrupt your environment and cause damage, but you’re far more likely to notice that giant wave about to crash down on you. Hank’s baggage eclipses Aaron, not excusing Aaron’s persona, but rather forcing the audience to put a pin in it, because we need to deep dive into Hank and what is going on here.

This is an original film written and directed by Elliot Tuttle, and it is a bold stamp if there ever was one. For all the complicated filmmakers out there, Tuttle just proved he’s ready to frame extremely difficult decisions, and he can cast them perfectly. Reed Bierney is perfect as Hank, and was one of the reasons I wanted to see this. I was taken by his acting choices after seeing him in Mass, and now I know Bierney is at his best with a screenplay heavy in dialogue, limited in location, and full of challenging material and a character no one wants to play. in Mass, he succeeded as the father of a school shooter, having a difficult conversation with the parents of a boy his son killed. Here, he chooses the hard path again, diving into a role most actors would run from. I think that’s how Brian Cox ended up in LIE, because he is unafraid to take on challenging roles, like Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter. Bierney is clearly up for the challenge, and the films sexual content didn’t throw him either.

Yes, there’s sexual content, though from what I could find, they shoot it without really showing, so it is creatively framed. Kieron Moore is a special find. I got Taron Egerton vibes from him, as this overt masculinity Egerton has brought to a few of his roles, felt stylized, intended for show, to boost a persona much like how Moore is using it to shape Aaron. If we had the space to unpack Aaron, we’d likely find out he’s a lot more gay than he’d ever want to admit to, but uses homophobic slurs to make himself more comfortable with something inside him that he hates possibly more than Hank hates about the thing inside him. The self loathing in this room is palpable, and yet these two find each other, if only for a moment, if only for a conversation, or an encounter.

The audacity. I cannot imagine another film this year having the sheer audacity to challenge its audience. even the title suggests that we’re not really sure what too call it. There is no easy answer, no real solution. Things are not tied up in a nice bow, and characters don’t get a reckoning to make you feel better about your life. it is an aggressively stubborn work, that stands on its own, believing that those willing to watch all these Criterion films, and talk about how edgy A24 vibes are, will find it. Blue Film is more A24 than A24 was comfortable with, and Obscured is getting to benefit by releasing it.

I will note, that there is a pervasively troubling label with films like this as LGBTQ, since once character never mentions liking men, only boys, and the other clearly profits from having this connection with men, but suffers from self loathing that keeps him from ever truly identifying as such. In some ways, both are predators, one is just super obvious, but the other has not admitted what he is, and who he likes, and preys on them instead, gaining money from them. It also always feels so dark when this is a homosexual relationship, whereas films with an underage boy and an older woman, consistently benefit from MILF culture. That is how they sell you Mrs Robinson and Stifler’s Mom. On Dawson’s Creek, Pacey began the series pursuing an older woman, who ended up becoming his teacher, who he does sleep with for more than a few episodes. While the series made sure to remind us it is technically wrong, it also made it seem cool, and suggested that Pacey was more than consenting. Later seasons never painted him as a victim of anything, yet something like Blue Film talks openly about the repercussions Hank’s event had on the child he attempted to molest, and how Hank felt about it. Guess what? It isn’t as cool when it is your male middle school teacher. But if it is your hot neighbor or your best friend’s mom, you might be in a 90’s teen comedy.

Double standards aside, it isn’t OK. It is just the game Hollywood plays. Blue Film is unabashedly afraid to tackle the most difficult conversations, and triumphs with tremendous performances from Moore and Birney. This is a sure fire contender for Top 10 of 2026, if you can get through it.

Fresh: 9.0/10