a short film by Tim Hunter 2005 | 24 mins | Australia ›› Packed Lunch an exposé of the male equivalent of the Wonder Bra What is it about Speedos? Well here Australian director Tim Hunter is on a mission to find the answer to the question of why so many gay men can't seem to get enough of hunks in tight fitting trunks? Although somehow I think the answer can be found in the question! Anyway in a bid to discover the truth, Hunter has carried out a series of interviews with men who have more than a passing interest in this briefest of garment, including that of Speedo designer Peter Travis, who here relates his part in the history of 'the male equivalent of the Wonder Bra.' Not that it takes much to get these swimwear devotees talking about their favourite subject, only too happy as they are to comment on how many pairs they have owned, currently own and what they do with them! Only what is it about Speedos that turn so many gay men on? Could it be the cut of them, the fabric or even the self-confidence it takes to wear them? Or has it something to do with the colours / designs on offer? Or could it be the transparent fact that light blue and white shorts tend to turn almost see-through when wet! But surely there's more to it, than that? Well in an effort to probe even deeper as-it-were, Hunter laces his work with dictionary style definitions, coupled with a series of shots of big men, in more ways than one, wearing material that clearly was designed to accentuate the contours of the male physique. For the answer to the question is all but obvious. For call us gay, but hey, we like looking at good looking blokes in erotic swimwear. And if there's any doubt about that, then check out the sales figures to the latest DNA magazine for the selling power of the eye-candy / Speedo combination. Written, produced, directed and narrated by Hunter, the result is a work that at twenty-five minutes, is I dare say an overlong examination to a question that could be answered in the opening reel. Then again, for those into Speedos perhaps twenty-five minutes is way too short for a shorts exposé, given no matter how you look at it, this all but boils down to a testimonial based ogle at cute guys wearing, well - very little! Only here, do I hear any complaints? screened as part of the 19th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2005 available on DVD as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue - 'Boys on Film 1: Hard Love' release featuring: Kevyn Boemia, Andrew Creagh, Kevin Hennah, Ken Holmes, Duncan McLean, Mark Magill, Steven Quigg, Chris Sayers, Andy Sciberras, Peter Travis, David Wain, Glenda Waverley and a host of Speedo models Copyright 2009 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #203 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹