Blue Film

Kieron Moore plays sex worker Aaron in Blue Film, a provocative drama by writer-director Elliot Tuttle. On camera, Aaron wears a confident and domineering persona, taking pleasure in humiliating wealthy clients who are willing to pay a lot of money to spend the night with him. One such person is Hank (Reed Birney), an older man offering $50,000 for the privilege. However, it’s soon revealed that the customer is Aaron’s disgraced middle school teacher, who went to prison for making sexual advances towards a young student. The pair share an uncomfortable evening together, exchanging difficult truths about themselves while trying to justify the monsters they’ve become. While Moore and Birney’s compelling performances add nuanced layers to their characters, Tuttle’s handling of taboo themes offers more shock value than substance.

Setting the film almost entirely within a single LA apartment, Tuttle traps viewers within this deeply awkward situation as they watch the men talk about their pasts, gradually opening up about their shame and guilt. This primarily comes from monologues about the despicable acts each character has committed. While their graphic stories can be hard to listen to, Moore and Birney tell them with a subtle vulnerability that enables viewers to see behind the facades these characters have created for themselves.

In this regard, Blue Film is a character piece that challenges audiences to confront the darker parts of society and the ways in which people lie to themselves to hide from the truth. Hank, for instance, prefers the term “paederasty”, comparing his behaviour to customs that would have been accepted in ancient Rome, while Aaron (not his real name) has created an entirely new personality and life story for himself. By avoiding any moral judgement, Tuttle forces audiences to view these disturbed individuals on an equal footing. However, the subject matter alone isn’t enough to sustain the drama without the script having a voice of its own.

Cinema should push boundaries by tackling taboo topics. Doing so effectively, though, requires that the film has something to say. Blue Film lacks that critical angle, consequently leaving audiences with a drama that relies heavily on its transgressive themes to elicit a response. This feature’s saving grace is the captivating turns from its leading duo.

Andrew Murray

Blue Film is released in select cinemas on 11^th September 2026.

Watch the trailer for Blue Film here: