Bryan (Todd Stites) is blond and gay. Dark-haired Brian (Terry Curry) describes himself as bisexual. They meet in a bar one night, go back to Bryan's place, have uninhibited unsafe sex, sleep for a short while and then wake up to get to know each other. The pair spend the entire evening in an epic conversation about: sexual identity, role-playing, homosexuality, heterosexuality, the gay liberation movement, feminism, loneliness, Emily Dickinson, philosophy, and so on. Ultimately, AIDS becomes the prime topic of the evening. Bryan and Brian debate their conflicting values, recall key events in their lives and slowly, reluctantly reveal themselves. Why was the sex unsafe? Bryan, who says this was his first sexual encounter in a long time, initially blames Brian for not taking precautions. Brian refuses to say whether or not he has tested positive. When Bryan ridicules Brian's claims of being bisexual, Brian expresses impatience with "militant drag queens" who insist on dragging everyone out of the closet. "People shouldn't be so obsessed by labels," he says. By the film's end, it's clear that Bryan is both lonelier and stronger than Brian. He doesn't fool himself about the way things are. At the same time he is a romantic, and says, "I like to think that every time you do the right thing, you become a little better." Brian, leading his double life, appears headed for disaster.
Bryan and Brian are different aspects of the same personality. This is reflected in their names and also in their having had the same dream while they slept. Though all of the sex occurs off screen, the sex-oriented discussions between the two are quite explicit. The carefully choreographed dialogue is set entirely in one room, probably because the film's budget was $7,000. Considering the movie's claustrophobic setting, it defines political positions, social questions, and emotional problems very nicely. Incidental music was composed by Wayne Alabardo. Written and directed by P. J. Castellaneta.
