“Hey fa****s” – the first line of dialogue in newcomer Elliot Tuttle’s feature film directorial debut Blue Film. An introduction that is as sure to shock you as it is to grab your attention. From that moment on, you’re either with the movie or you’re against it, and the next ninety minutes are sure to take you on one hell of a wild ride, regardless of what side of the reactionary scale you land on.
The picture follows Aaron Eagle (Kieron Moore), a gay Only Fans style content creator, as he spends the night with a mysterious older man. Drawn by the promise of easy money, things take a dark turn when a personal connection between the two is revealed. The journey that the film takes us on is challenging and stunning all at the same time.
Throughout the night, both men engage in conversations that many other movies would simply shy away from, with the two characters engaging in a dialogue about topics such as child abuse/neglect, paedophilia and sexual assault, as well as their personal histories with them. The contents of such conversations is sure to make Blue Film one of 2025’s most controversial films, one which many will undoubtedly find difficult to stomach. However, for those that can handle the explicit nature of the film, this is one of the year’s finest.
One can’t help but be impressed by the twenty-five year old director Elliot Tuttle, who directs the film with an assured nature, his maturity way beyond his years. The screenplay (also written by Tuttle) never shy’s away from the disturbing confessions or morbid curiosity’s of the two characters, without ever feeling exploitative in the process, handling the tone of the picture masterfully.
Kieron Moore & Reed Birney also elevate an already brilliant script with two phenomenal, powerful performances. Birney is particularly amazing in his portrayal of the deeply troubled older man. Bringing nuance to a character that many may find hard to watch, Birney ensures that we simply can’t keep our eyes off of him, whilst also lending an air of sympathy to a man who has done some truly horrible things. Kieron Moore, as the lead, however, is truly special.
Something that both actors bring to Blue Film is the idea of pretending to be someone else, masking who you really are. Moore’s physicality in the role is of vital importance here, with regular Aaron Eagle and his cam-boy persona essentially working as two completely different characters, both of which are riveting to watch from start to finish.
Given the dialogue-heavy nature of the picture, and the fact that almost the entire runtime of the feature is set in a single location, it would be very easy for things to feel stagnant at some point but they never do. Just when the audience thinks they know where the film is going, the uncertain nature of the story takes another turn, leaving us on the edge of our seats. Come the end of the film, the characters have clearly learned something new about themselves and by the time the credits roll, so have we.
Reminiscent of the horrifying works of filmmakers like Pier Paolo Pasolini and Gaspar Noé, Blue Film may not be for everybody. The explicit scenes and frank dialogue may be hard to swallow for many, but behind it all is a masterpiece of modern cinema and one of the greatest directorial debuts of the decade. Elliot Tuttle is sure to be a director to watch.
Blue Film screened at Edinburgh International Film Festival.
