Her Humps

With her film Humpday garnering considerable buzz, director Lynn Shelton has become the toast of American indie film. Humpday follows two straight male friends from college who dare each other into making a gay sex film together. Recently, she chatted with New York Press about her “love letter to straight men.”

How do you think this film would be different if it starred two straight women?
Women are not competitive in the same testosterone way, so it’s really hard for me to imagine them getting into this situation. Also, these guys are daring themselves to do something that “scares them more than anything else.” It [gay sex] probably wouldn’t scare two straight women more than anything.

In a lot of interviews, you talk about an “extreme naturalism” in your work. Why is naturalism important to you?
Nobody has ever asked me that. I am really more drawn into a story if I don’t see the lines on the page. An actor will say a line, a good line and a written line, and I see it in on the page and it distracts me. I’m in to natural, easy conversations. I was raised with Woody Allen, and I think about those conversations [in Woody’s movies]. And Altman, I love Altman.

Is your way of filmmaking just your way of cinematic expression, or is it the right way? Is Hollywood production inherently bad?
It’s just a good fit for me. It’s a very individual kind of thing. From John Cassavetes to Robert Altman, all kinds of people have custom designed elements for their particular process. I developed this as my own artistic process because I didn’t have the luxury of a beautifully written script. I’ve discovered a working method I really enjoy, but I’m exited to try working with a good script or trying a hybrid. I’m not pigeonholing myself with this one style.

Is the typical straight man uncomfortable with gay sex? Did you have that in mind going into the film?
Of my straight male friends…one is literally the straightest guy I know. He can turn into a caveman on occasion, and he’s probably the biggest fan of this movie. He feels like it’s a movie made about and for him, and it is. It’s this love letter to straight guys. They make themselves fools in the movie, but it’s still a very loving thing. The ones who are not insecure will be able to laugh at themselves. There may be people who are too uncomfortable. The whole premise might make them too uncomfortable to see it, which is sad.

Do you think this film can change that?
Absolutely. I’m really only making films that incite. I am interested in work that’s going to be adding to the conversation. I want people who come to the film in groups to talk about it. I’ve heard about people talking about it for hours or days, and I’m completely thrilled. I sat with a friend last night that I haven’t seen in 20 years. He said, “I think your film changed me…It’s make me think about my masculinity.”

Homosexuality is such political issue. How do you see your film fitting into the political debate?
Gay rights are very important to me, and I feel very passionately about that issue. But this is not a message movie, by any means. I don’t make movies to make a statement. I like to make films that are open enough that people can draw their own messages.
A friend who was involved in production showed Humpday to her dad. He’s in his 50s and a conservative guy. He not only loved the film, but he really did a 180 on his position on Prop 8. It really hit home for him that it’s not a choice to be gay or straight. It’s a really struggle for [the film’s protagonists]. They want to be gay for a day, and it’s not easy.

Sex writer Dan Savage said you promised to make an actual porn film for Hump Fest, the art porn festival where the movie’s protagonists plan to screen their sex tape. Any truth to that?
Yes, he threw down the gauntlet, and I answered back “I’ll make you a goddamn movie.” I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do. It’s been suggested that maybe I should do a reverse and have gay guys go straight. I have some ideas in mind. Nothing firm yet, though.

Can porn be art?
Sure. Of course. Yeah. I don’t think the vast majority of porn is art, but I would say erotic art exists.