Cinema

Gay filmmaker Patrik-Ian Polk’s 2000 breakout debut film “Punks,” a hit on the LGBT film festival circuit, introduced moviegoers to a fresh new voice in cinema. He followed that up with the popular Logo TV series “Noah’s Arc,” which led to the feature-length movie “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom.”

Polk is back with “The Skinny,” in which five queer, African-American, Brown (University, that is) classmates reunite in New York for a Pride weekend of fun, frolic, floats and fireworks. “The Skinny” sometimes verges on being a sexy—and occasionally graphic—queer soap opera, but writer/director Polk is careful not to let that happen. Sure, there is drama for days, including betrayal and an assortment of sexual situations. But Polk also manages to work some education into the very entertaining film. The “unrated director’s cut” of “The Skinny” (QC Cinema) includes deleted scenes, commentary by Polk, the soundtrack, audition clips, and much more among its special features.

You have a track record with ensemble pieces, beginning with “Punks” and continuing through the “Noah’s Arc” series and feature-length movie. “The Skinny” also fits the mold with an ensemble cast. What do you like about writing for and working with an ensemble cast?

I think that when you’re doing a movie, sometimes working with an ensemble group of characters allows you to explore different stories, different personalities. I also think in life, [with] groups of friends you have different dynamics, different ‘types’. There’s a type represented in any group of friends.

There is ongoing debate about gay and straight actors playing gay roles. As a filmmaker, how do you deal with it?

I don’t really care at the end of the day. I don’t ask the actors what their personal sexuality is. I only ask that they be completely fearless, that they commit to whatever character they’re playing. That’s the most important thing.

Among other subjects, “The Skinny” addresses the impact of social media on the gay community. What’s your take?

Ever increasingly we communicate more and more through social media outlets. All that stuff is portable now. We can take it with us on our smart phones: Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, instant messages and text messages. A lot of dating now is done online. So much of our lives and what we learn about life we’re first exposed to online. It’s an interesting phenomenon.

“The Skinny” portrays frank discussions of HPV (Human Papillomavirus), preparations for anal sex and PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) treatment in regards to HIV, and more concerning STDs. Do you think you have a responsibility to include that kind of information in your films?

Yes and no. Again, it’s about the characters. If you have a young character, for instance, Sebastian in “The Skinny,” who is embarking on his first sexual encounter, and his friend happens to be in medical school, there’s a reason that person might share sexual health information with him. I suppose on some level, sure. But it has to be rooted in story. If am doing a movie about five young 21, 22-year-old black, gay characters, with current STD and HIV rates and statistics, I do feel a responsibility to talk about these issues. But if they’re not rooted in the characters, I’m not going to cram it in there just to be educational. It has to fit into the story in a way that feels organic. Or else the kids watching the film will disconnect.

“Noah’s Arc” was one of the first and most popular series on the Logo cable channel. How do you feel about the network’s recent seeming restructuring of its original vision?

I try to stay sympathetic and understanding to the plight of a network like Logo. When you’re part of a bigger corporate machine like the MTV networks, and on top of that Viacom, I’m sure you have a lot of mandates and requirements to meet and people to satisfy. That has to be a difficult position to be in. That said, I don’t see a lot of physical evidence of a huge shift. It still feels like the same Logo when I watch the channel. I think maybe, if anything, it’s more of a philosophical shift. Maybe that’s an effort to try to get that community to not view the network in such myopic terms. To me, they still run gay and lesbian programming that is of interest to gay and lesbian communities.

Is there a character in your films that resembles you?

(Pauses) No. Not really.