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Deep Dive: Interior. Leather Bar. (2013)

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Interior. Leather Bar.
Interior. Leather Bar. is a 2013 docufiction film directed by James Franco and Travis Mathews. The film centers on Franco and Mathews as they attempt to recreate 40 minutes of deleted footage from the 1980 film Cruising. Rather than simply reproducing the lost material, the film uses this premise to address creative and ethical questions surrounding the production of such content. It examines the actors' comfort levels with explicit material and the tension between creative freedom and censorship. The narrative also investigates the evolution of cinematic representation of LGBT issues since Cruising's release. Participants express confusion over Franco's involvement in the project, reflecting on the contrasting interpretations of the original film's deleted footage as either homophobic propaganda or a documentary-style portrayal. This duality serves as a backdrop for the film's exploration of contemporary LGBT narratives.

Why Watch

  • •See James Franco's unique take on LGBT cinema.
  • •Find out how Cruising's legacy is reexamined.
  • •Meet the cast navigating explicit content.

Did You Know

•The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
•Interior. Leather Bar. has an approval rating of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.
•The film has a duration of 61 minutes.
•Metacritic assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100 based on 15 critics.

Perfect For

LGBT film studiesJames Franco fansCinema ethics discussions