There are a few sex scenes and some nudity. The film is about characters wanting romance but being encouraged to at least have sex. We wanted to show the construction and contrast the organic landscape - the pavilion, which is such an odd-looking building, and that juxtaposition that is fun both visually and thematically. We wanted to capture the landscape of Fire Island, the flora and fauna in cinematography and sound design. Not everyone in a friend group has the same feelings about things that’s not a friend group, that’s just a weird narcissism.Ĭan you talk about the island as a character? That for me was fun to see, and it shows how a group of people who have very different perspectives on things can still be friends. Luke is Lydia, Keegan is “Kitty”, Max is Mary. That shifting that Joel did to the story was a really subtle but kind of radical thing to do. As queer people, often our friendships are the most important relationships in our lives. To me that feels really fresh, modern, and queer. One thing I noticed immediately after reading Joel’s screenplay was how he shifted the emphasis away from the romantic and put the friendship at its center. What appealed to you about this film, which is very different from your previous features?
“Fire Island” is not a raunchy comedy, but a comedy of manners. As the guys attend tea dances and underwear parties, visit backrooms and sing karaoke - while also saving possibly-sullied reputations - “Fire Island” is ultimately a love story about friends.
Howie is interested in Charlie (James Scully), however, Noah is definitely not interested in Charlie’s friend Will (Conrad Ricamora). The film, written by Joel Kim Booster and directed by out gay filmmaker Andrew Ahn (“Spa Night”), is a riff on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” as Noah (Booster) tries to be a matchmaker for his best friend Howie (Bowen Yang). “Fire Island,” available June 3 on Hulu, is the amiable comedy about a group of friends spending what may be their last summer together in the gay mecca.