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Logline

When a couple in love takes a woodsy vacation, their quaint cabin becomes the perfect place to unwind, reflect, and ask…are all gay guys mean?

Synopsis

One warm evening, in a remote cabin, Coco disrupts his boyfriend Bubba’s peace by insisting there is a bear outside. Bubba is convinced there’s nothing, which only leads Coco to further insist that there is either a huge bear outside or he is losing his mind. Bubba finally gets up, just to point out that what Coco sees is only a very big raccoon. They playfully tease each other.

What follows is a series of moments. We are following the rhythm of their conversation, rather than a traditional plot. The couple sharing about their days, Bubba reminding Coco they are on vacation to relax, switching clothes as a joke, coming up with fun pet names for each other, kissing, asking each other philosophical questions. Eventually they land on the question: Why are all gay guys mean?

They expand on this question, examining past relationships, questioning their own behaviors. Coco lands on the thought, “Maybe they aren’t mean, they’re just not at peace with themselves.” Bubba asks Coco if he’s at peace with himself. The question surprises him. It pushes Coco into an unexpectedly vulnerable position, and we watch Bubba hold space for him as these feelings and thoughts spill out. After a moment, Coco collects himself and the conversation shifts. We’re back to simply observing them, but now with a deeper understanding of their connection.

Meet the Filmmakers

Santi MacLean— Co-Writer/Director/producer
Santi MacLean is a Peruvian-American filmmaker & actor based in Los Angeles, focused on telling queer stories. For the past few years, he has been working on completing a collection of 12 short film call Fun pet namez. Two of those short films, rip & Doomscrolling, are both featured on the streaming service NoBudge, and have screened in their competitive LA screening. Santi has written and directed 2 full length plays, including Surprise Party which was nominated for 7 EVVY Awards and won Best Director. He has taught playwriting to graduate students at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. Santi is LA’s only Action Theater certified teacher, a physical theater practice developed by Ruth Zaporah. As an actor he recently performed in a new play MOMMY at REDCAT, the new play Keep Yourself Safe, or U’HAUL PLAY, as Helena in Red Ink Ensemble’s queer reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Nate Gibson — Producer
Nate is an LA–based producer. For years Nate worked as a Commercial Coordinator, working at production companies such as Smuggler, Caviar, Hungry Man, and Ridley Scott’s RSA Films. He has coordinated commercials for Coca-Cola, Apple, QuickBooks, AT&T, and Wells Fargo to name a few. He’s now a Director of Product at Cast & Crew. He has previously produced the short films, rip & Doomscrolling, now streaming on NoBudge.

Grace Madigan — Producer
Grace is an LA-based producer. Worked in animation development, story & script at Paramount, Sony, and Netflix, as well as h.wood media in docs and indie film. Grace has previously produced the short film, Mug Museum and Bonnie Parker’s music videos Charlie, Be Sweet, Sunday Backseat Angel, Cool to the Touch, and Leftovers.

Joe Zappulla — Editor
Joe is a New York-based editor and animator. He has worked on commercial projects with brands such as Pepsi, Xfinity, Peloton, IBM and more. They’ve ranged from Super Bowl spots to Times Square billboards. Recently he’s worked on long form projects such as the travel show Passport Properties with Blue Ant Studios. He served as the editor for the short films, Doomscrolling & rip both featured on NoBudge.

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Contact

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