Suffused with eroticism, egos, and existentialism – Patrick Connolly’s Desire Lines hooks you from the first scene. We are plunged into the sexual tension between Honey (Camille Calvin) and her new prospective employee – a representative of an adult film company called ‘CockBlocker’. The two women discuss the job, which promises a ‘holistic approach to adult filmmaking’, leaving nothing off the table. The domineering woman from CockBlocker commands, rather than suggests, that Honey finds a meditation centre and works on ridding herself of a religious shame that has been systematically engrained in her since childhood, then she will be ready to join the company.
The rest of the film centres on a group of people at the meditation centre Honey finds herself at. They all have their own reasons for being there, which are revealed to us throughout the course of the film. The established themes of sex, religion and shame spiral outwards from the opening scene, manifesting in many other areas of the film. The way the characters are explored through their engagement with mediation sheds a light not only on their inner mental state, but the process of mindfulness and meditation itself.
The cast of characters is extremely strong, upheld by the writing of Patrick Connolly as well as the excellent actors and actresses who portray them. There’s Kelly (Teagan Morin), a young woman who has a particular dislike for her hometown in Boston and the people there. Trevor (Jonathan Dylan King) – a sleazy, sex obsessed jerk who is actually quite amusing. Keith (Dwight Huntsman) – a military veteran with PTSD who thinks about not hurting other people. And finally the blue eyed, bearded cult leader… excuse me… mediation guru, leading everyone in the session – Joel (Nigel J. Lysaght). Desire Lines provides us with a snapshot into people’s lives when they are theoretically at their most open and most vulnerable. I particularly liked the use of internal monologues for each of the characters which added an interesting contrast to their memory flashbacks.
The cinematography and editing is unusual and unique. The camera often feels very claustrophobic, zoomed right in on the protagonists’ faces. This creates a strong relationship between the audience and the characters. During the meditation, we see the characters for what they really are, the good and the bad. Kelly is massively unsympathetic towards her depressed mother, despite claiming to have a plethora of mental health issues herself. Joel, supposed to be the picture of perfect balance within the self, has dangerous sexual fantasies pivoting on holding the life of another in his fist. And Trevor… well Trevor’s just a dick.
When the group go to get a drink after the session, there is an excellent comparison between the private natures of their individual meditations and the faces they show to each other – to the world. Honey pretends to be an actress, rather than an adult film star. Kelly perpetuates her hatred of Boston in order to show everyone how much she’s grown since moving. They are perhaps all guilty of shouting over one another’s versions of reality in an attempt to get it to fit theirs. Kelly’s response to Kevin saying he served with a guy from Boston is to tell him Boston is full of rich snobs. Trevor thinks he is most hard done to because he doesn’t have a straight white pride. Joel’s speech about cultivating a perspective that aligns with the world around us is ironic as most of the characters are guilty of making the world fit their perspective.
A story of self-inflated egos, insecurities, competitions of suffering and much more, Patrick Connolly’s Desire Lines is available to watch now on Amazon Prime!
Check out the trailer below!