Just for Leather

Writer-director Lawrence Ferrara wrote a script, rented camera equipment, hired a crew -- and then found out he didn't have any actors! So he cast himself and a few friends in this nice little film about a man who just likes leather.

Unfortunately, the film looks like it was shot on a shoestring. The leather bar set is bare and uncrowded, which sets an odd emotional tone for what's the come. Additionally, the film would have benefited from more visual in-jokes at the expense of the bear and leather communities to help set the mood.

As it is, the film is sort of a one-trick-pony (which I won't give away here, but makes sense if you think about the film's title). It's nice. But it either should have been shorter or more elaborate. Take your pick.

I caught this in a series of shorts at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. It's excellent - I'm a big fan of the director Lawrence Ferrara's work. The first half of the film takes place inside a leather bar in Boston called the Ramrod, a place I'd heard about for years but never been inside.

His starring character looks sweet and a little naive when you first see him, but becomes increasingly confident and aggressive as the plot thickens. Ferrara delivers a big tension build up - both dramatic and sexual - that helps deliver the laugh at the end. See this film - it's five minutes well spent.