Original subtitles

We're here on the set of Lonesome in Tib's Warehouse

in Newlown, just getting set up for one of our bigger scenes.

I guess, when I was writing Lonesome

I was really keen to ultimately tell a love story, but set it in a world

that is very specifically queer and look at the lives of the characters

as little snapshots of where we are as a community right now.

Not in a way that the characters are meant to be representative

of everyone in the queer community, of course, but it feels like a very current world,

very current characters and it talks a lot about the immediacy of the

gig economy, the fact that even though we're we're more connected through social media

and pick up apps, we're often more isolated than we ever have been.

I was drawn to Lonesome by

the intense power of the screenplay that Craig Boreham had written.

I read it at treatment stage and I found it incredibly compelling,

really beautifully written, with a lot of subtlety and nuance.

And in particular, I thought it was really refreshing

to see a queer story told with such authenticity,

a real no holds barred approach to storytelling.

I've known Craig for a very long time.

I have a great deal of admiration for his work. We're very good friends

and we'd actually wanted to collaborate on something together for quite some time.

And when this me up, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity

in finally make something together.

My name is Josh Lavery

and I'm playing the lead Casey in Lonesome.

I grew up in the country in rural Vidoria.

The whole experience of Casey coming from a small country town

and making his way to the city and having all these new experiences,

especially in a sexual way, I heavily related in that.

When I was in the country, I was the only gay in the village

and I came to the city and I had all of these new experiences.

So there's a lot of similarities between Casey's story and mine.

Hey! How's it going? All right.

How are you?

Not too bad.

How are you?

Good. You guys, it smells like farts in here.

I mean, we've all been farting. (laughs)

What's up?

You just filming?

Yeah, some BTS stuff.

Cute, cute, cute.

You can do some. What's going on?

Bit tired.

ljust, like, slept all day.

Hi Brodie, Hi Josh.

Are you excited?

Yes! So excited.

I had my little freak out yesterday because it was the first day and I had my little, like,

What the fuck? I'm so shit!

What have you guys done today so far?

We did me, sleeping on the bed.

This bed?

Yeah.

Quote unquote.

The gayest shit you'll ever see.

And it's so candid.

So this is where we fuck.

This is where we fuck. Hey MTV, Open mic.

So, Oprah, thank you for the question.

The way we see gay people portrayed in film and cinema, [or a long time

is kind of either completely stereotyped and caricatured

or if they are sexual, then it's quite primal.

There's no human connection there.

But this film, I think, does that very well.

We see we see the animalislic side of it, but that's just sex, you know,

like sex has... it's primal but

there are those moments where we do get to see soft queer love.

Which is terrific.

It's so pretty to watch. It's so pretty.

And you guys, can you walk in,

walk in,

walk in from out'!

Yeah.

Okay set.

And action!

I think the thing about love and the journey of love and relationships

that we often don't see in films

is how messy it is and how, how hard that negotiation can be.

And especially when you have two characters

that have a lot of walls up...

their own scars from their lives... that negotiation can be really difficult.

I think the journey that I'd like audiences to go on

is just the really intense ride that a lot of queer people go through.

When they're, you know, that story of coming to the city,

coming to find your people is so universal

and so common for queer folks. Even in this process of making the film,

so many people have had said, “this is my story'

or “this is my friend's story."

Ultimately, the story is a love story, and I'd like people to go on

that joumey and get on board.

Get on board the love

All right, let's do it

when you're ready.

Set! And action!

As a gay man, I think everyone's known a Casey. As I was reading the script and like

I said to Craig, I know this kid, you know, like I've actually met this kid.

I think a lot of the community could be almost like

transporting themselves into the film because they'd probably been

in some capacity at the points Casey is through the film.

So I kind of get it. Like I also know the struggle

that that character's going through.

That's the reason people get into these types of films.

Challenging location, dealing completely with natural light here.

It's the afternoon and the light is getting lower and lower in the sky.

We're now at the point

where it's spilling right to the set and we've got a shot straight into it.

What are we about in shoot anyway?

We are about to shoot me waking up in an empty warehouse and I gel caught.

Who the fuck are you?

Do you know where he went'!

How the fuck should I know?

Oi! Did you bust the door?

I think it's good to start there...

The film is centered around two characters

that come from very different backgrounds and have very different sort of ambitions.

Before we address the sets

and the bits of dressing and the props and stuff,

We had a careful look at the characters and who they were.

That was a good jumping off point [or what kind of clothes

they would have lying around... what they would have in their wallets.

For instance, we have a bed made out of milk crates that belongs to

one of the characters who is saving every penny

and not not concerned with some of the more frivolous things in life.

What's going on in wardrobe?

We have a lot of

pants of the same type, and a lot of the same shirts.

And we have some sandy socks.

It's a bit of a hero piece.

Ifs Tib's collection of items.

Connections in his mother and his past.

Receipts and just notes. The rest of his space is just,

as Craig says, spartan, like he only has it because he needs it.

But this is sort of the space where he

puts important things. That's the spot.

Everything else he doesn't care about as much.

Like most good films, I think it's a relationship drama

with love kind of shining through. We're about a third of the way

into the production.

I think we're on day six now.

So far, the process has been challenging, but incredibly rewarding.

Everybody has come together like a big...

Not-so Lonesome family.

I think everybody's kind of being

very supportive of each other and getting the job done logistically and creatively.

Many people wearing many hats, including myself.

It's very ambitious given the limitations we have, but I think it's all about

those limitations and being resourceful and pragmatic

really leading to a greater level of great creative thinking.

What's it been like wanking here at Breathless Films?

It's been great.

It's been a bit of a little cave

we've been in for quite a while now, so it'll be exciting to get back out

in the world. We're back out on location again tomorrow.

Are you ready to get out of here?

Ready in gel out of the warehouse!

As a queer film,

there is nothing that's being done like this in Australia at the moment.

Having two very openly queer,

gay characters as the lead, one of them being of color.

Rarely do you see that as well.

I think a lot of people will

resonate with it and they will love it and they'll come to it and be like,

“Oh, I actually do see myself.'

“That is how I live my life.'

What will my neighbours say when they see you too gorgeous men in my garden?

It's sexy... it's hot.

It's passionate... it's sad... it's fun.

It's been fun for rne to transform myself to be a legit country boy

which I thought was going to be a big challenge.

But I think even the production design, the outfit, and everything like that,

it's really made it easy to bring the character to life.

Love is really potent in this film.

Cacey, being from the country, had thought he had experienced this,

but meeting 'Tib, finding a connection like that,

ifs really transformative for the character,

and I think that's something everyone will relate to.

When you find someone and a connection like that, it's can be really transformative.

It's a sexy, queer western. Absolutely incredible.

Yee-fucking-Haa!