In the wake of stay at home orders and self-isolation, any hopes of summertime escapades and mischief this year are looking like less and less of a possibility.
This gives the Tribeca short film QUERY, from director Sophie Kargman, a whole new layer of significance. Set entirely during a single summer day, QUERY is a 9-minute snapshot of the lackadaisical shenanigans and explorations that can make the summers of our youth so memorable.
Justice Smith (All the Bright Places, Detective Pikachu) and Graham Patrick Martin (Two and a Half Men) play two best friends just mucking around with their abundance of free time. On this day in particular, however, the conversation that dominates their board games and poolside vaping is that of sexuality. They bring up the typical questions that arise with the subject at hand. It is a result of conditioning? How rigid are the bounds? Between the two friends, there is such a familiar comfort with throwing randomly curious ideas around, there’s an established safe space that could only be the result of a strong bond. Their situation is so open to an inquiry that the day of questions leads to a brief moment of exploration between the two.
What QUERY seems to understand is that many experiences of sexual exploration aren’t accompanied by an obscene amount of pressure. This story doesn’t require a grandiose epic tale of heartbreak and trauma. It allows for the nerves and tension to exist without letting them disrupt the course of a friendship, or even that single day, too severely. It is a snap experience, but nevertheless an impactful one in the grand scheme of things. The film itself is over just as soon as it began, a flash that reflects how quickly the significant moments in life can come and go.
