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Where the Boys Are
TYPE: Narrative Feature
GENRE: Drama
STATUS: Pre-Production
LOGLINE
A lonely technician and curious night janitor at a virtual reality brothel circle around the facility and each other as they face the alienation of a world beginning to embrace the pleasures of virtual sex but find that intimacy has never been simple, even face to face.
SYNOPSIS
Digitial intimacy has replaced the need for physical relationships. Patrons now frequent EROS, a virtual reality sex salon, where they can live out their fantasies free of judgement, commitment, or mutual desire.
One employee, Maggie, spends her days welcoming clients and showing them to private rooms where they can explore their innermost impulses. She has desires of her own, though. Maggie hopes to catch the eye of the quiet night janitor Alex.
Alex is unaware of this attraction, however. Alex has his sights set on tracking down Stella, a former reality singing show contestant, after he finds her lost cell phone.
All three lonely souls circle each other and EROS in the hopes of finding the real world connection they so deeply long for.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
I like to watch my neighborhood through my windows. I often take photos through the glass. But I rarely open them anymore. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the noise. Or the dust. But I wish I did.
I’m not sure if my phone is a window or a mirror. I think I use it as a window, but sometimes I think it’s just reflecting what I want it to. Either way there’s something missing. Maybe it’s all just a peep show in disguise. I honestly don’t know what to make of it, but I do know that I envy the light yours emits on the other end because it interacts with the you in a way I can’t. Instead, my jumbled feelings reluctantly sit there inside my chest and it’s my thick, dumb, immovable flesh that gets in the way. Although I still try.
This film follows characters that, like me, feel stuck in these spaces, both physical and metaphorical. They are destined to indefinitely wander the modern cityscapes and institutional buildings that aren’t made to suit their craving for tenderness and belonging. They long for others to notice them but fear what would happen if they do. And they are unable to articulate their feelings to one another, not because they lack the will or intellect, but because they are stuck in this perpetual state of staring out their windows. Their constantly mediated experiences take the place of genuine interactions and it’s heartbreaking to only be able to look at what you want through the glass.
I love pop music from the 50s and 60s. There is this melancholic optimism that permeates that era. It’s not cool to be sad so we’re not sad, but maybe we’re not happy, they say with a smile. The title of the film comes from the Connie Francis song that begins and ends with the line, “Where the boys are someone waits for me.” A someone - anyone - is out there waiting specifically for them. They just have to find each other. And that’s where the journey of this story begins.
It’s crucial that we don’t lose our sense of touch so that we don’t lose touch with each other, and I’ve tried hard to create a work that brings people closer together - with a silent nod, a quiet smile, a fleeting glance - accepting that for all it’s rough edges, we will all be okay. The hope is that this film will be a collective dream people can wander in together, and I’m eager to get to work in order to sculpt this into something provocative, playful, and uniquely strange.
KEY CREW
Alexandra Byer - Producer
Alexandra Byer is a Brooklyn-based producer who most recently produced Matt Porterfield’s Sollers Point, currently in post-production. Byer has worked closely with Porterfield and director Tim Sutton, producing his feature film Dark Night (Sundance ’16, Venice ’16) and co-producing Memphis which showcased at the 2013 Venice Film Festival with the support of the Biennale College - Cinema and premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Byer also co-produced Stand Clear of the Closing Doors which won the Special Jury Mention at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and is being distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
Alongside her feature work, Byer produces short films and works in production on commercials, branded content, and music videos. Clients include Anheuser Busch, Ben & Jerry’s, Carhartt Vineyard, Dunkin’ Donuts, NetJets, and Twitter.
Giulia Caruso - Producer
Born in Italy, Giulia Caruso is a Los Angeles-based producer and director. She has collaborated with Nonetheless since its inception where she has been responsible for producing projects like her own directorial debut Aurora Notte (BAFICI ‘14), Ian Samuel’s “Myrna the Monster” (Sundance ‘15, MTV) and Columbus (Sundance ‘17, Rotterdam ‘17) directed by acclaimed video-essayist kogonada starring John Cho and Parker Posey.
Giulia was awarded the John Cassevetes Award at the 2017 Independent Spirit Award for her work producing Andrew Ahn’s debut feature Spa Night (Sundance ‘16) and continues to produce a wide range of work for film and TV.
Ki Jin Kim - Cinematographer
Ki Jin Kim is a cinematographer and producer, working and living in Los Angeles. In 2012, he co-founded Nonetheless Productions, tapping into the talents of a diverse group of artists to create content for a variety of platforms.
He has since produced films such as Spa Night which premiered at Sundance 2016 in US Dramatic Competition and won the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2017. Ki Jin also co-produced video-essayist kogonada’s feature film debut, Columbus, which premiered at Sundance in 2017. Ki Jin has shot and produced commercial work for MTV, Intel and GoPro and was invited to the Rotterdam International Film Festival’s Producer’s Lab in 2017.
Emily Moran - Costume Designer
Emily Moran is a Los Angeles-based costume designer whose recent credits include COLUMBUS (Sundance '17, Rotterdam '17), THE FEELS (Seattle '17, Outfest '17), and SEARCH (Sundance '18). She also designed the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Award-winning film SPA NIGHT. Her other work ranges from short form narrative such as MAGIC BULLET (Slamdance '18) and ICE BOX (Live Action Short Film Shortlist, Oscars '18) to commercials to TV and branded content. She received her BFA in Costume Design from The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2014, and continues to use her diverse design background to create complex characters in authentic visual worlds through her costumes.
Greta Fernandez - Actress
Greta Fernández is a Spanish actress and model who began performing at age 13 alongside her father, Goya Award-winning actor Eduard Fernández. Her breakout role came in the science-fiction drama Embers directed by Claire Carré which premiered at Slamdance in 2015. More recently, she has appeared in films like Sunday’s Illness (Berlinale ‘18) and is set to star in Matar al Padre for the Movistar + channel, Belén Fuentes’ debut feature La hija de un ladrón, and Elisa y Marcela (Berlinale ‘19) directed by Isabel Coixet for Netflix.
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