Film Review: Starfuckers
by Marinell Haegelin

STARFUCKERS
Antonio Marziale, USA 2022

An aspiring actor is auditioning for a Hollywood director/producer. It’s a private audition in the director’s tasteful spacious home with a to-die-for view over the city. Slowly he undresses as Director gazes on cooing “You’re so beautiful;” a kiss is exchanged and a pause before our actor urinates on the plastic sheet covering the bedroom carpet. Under the pretext of showering while Director prepares dinner unawares Actor lets Boy, bearing coke and a wig, into the house. Over dinner Director cajoles, “Drop everything and go to Utah with me…a role for you…help direct” Actor coyly sidesteps answering all his suggestions. “God you’re so beautiful,” Director murmurs just before passing out.

The guys work fast. Their performance begins as Director recovers consciousness snarling, “What the fuck did you do to me?” (Aha! He is not dead.) And what a performance they give! Boy, sounding and looking somewhat like Marilyn M., and Actor’s routine is better than good. Eye-opening. Towering over Director sans wig and with tears trickling down his anguished face Boy laments, “You brought me to the city and left me for dead.” It does seem someone’s gotten his comeuppance.

Marziale wrote, directed, and acted in the 14:38 minute film. Together with Cole Doman playing Actor and Jonathan Slavin playing Director all three are good. Production values are impressive: James William Blades and Taul Katz’s original music, Matthew Pothier’s cinematography, Will Mayo’s editing, and Angélica Vasquez’s production design. Plus, the sound design is impressive. Allowing for some poetic license in the program’s description of the film, “a queer revenge movie,” STARFUCKERS’ ending would be considered by many people to be, quite simply, poetic justice.