Dear Pillow (2004)

Director:

Bryan Poyser

Writer:

Bryan Poyser (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Gay Interest | Coming Of Age | Mumblecore | Sex | Porn Magazine

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Rusty Kelley	...	Wes
Gary Chason	...	Dusty
Viviane Vives	...	Lorna
Cory Criswell	...	Dad
John Erler	...	Nick
Isabel Martin	...	Checkout Girl
Brian McGuire	...	Checkout Boy
Elle Klein	...	Bank Teller
Alex Holdridge	...	Hotel Waiter
David Zellner	...	Phone Man #1 (voice)
Patrick Million	...	Phone Man #2 (voice)
Kent Adamson	...	Phone Man #3 (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karen Skloss	...	Nick's Wife

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Switchfilm

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The 16mm porn film played is double perf., but has a soundtrack. Only single perf. 16mm film can have a soundtrack.

An Excellent Film...

...and I'm not just saying that because I'm the writer/director's sister. Given the subject matter, I was actually pretty nervous about seeing the movie for the first time; it's about a 17-year-old boy who's interested in writing about porn. I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be both a relief, and yet more intense than I had anticipated.

Wes (Rusty Kelley) is living with his divorced Dad (Cory Criswell) and working as a bag-boy at a local grocery store. He's a bit of a loner, and his main activities are listening to phone calls on a police scanner, and griping about still being a virgin in letters to a friend. He eventually meets up with an older man, Dusty (Gary Chason), who, he discovers, makes his living by writing fake letters for an adult magazine.

Like any hormone-driven teenager, Wes' interest is piqued, and he and Dusty form a strange mentor-like friendship, based on porn. When Wes tells Dusty about the police scanner and the obscene phone calls he's been overhearing on it, Dusty is determined to find out who's making them. And so into the picture comes Lorna, the apartment manager, whose assertive sexuality adds a new dimension to the relationship developing between the three.

While the fact that the movie is about porn -- and its dark humor -- have both been draws for audiences, it never takes the easy way out with cheap laughs or convenient answers. The film doesn't preach its own morality. Viewers can read into it what they will -- find their own lessons or message, without having it painted out for them.

Definitely keep an eye out for this film. I'm sure you'll be seeing more from the team who made it.