We hook up for many various reasons. We could be getting over a breakup, trying to escape a bad relationship or, sometimes, we are just out on the prowl. Maybe some of us are eager to play while the other needs an encounter to combat confusing feelings about our current situationship. While watching King Louie Palomo’s sweet film, Stay, I remembered that we don’t always hook up for the same reasons at the same time, but that doesn’t diminish the urgency we feel for intimacy, touch, pleasure, and companionship.
Ivy Diamonds does not want to be out. The statuesque drag performer, embodied by the even more statuesque Kendall Gender, is alone outside of a noisy bar when a young man named Ryan accidentally knocks the door closed and they find themselves stuck outside together. They strike up a conversation while Ivy has a smoke, but Ryan admits that he came out to escape a date gone bad. So bad, actually, that his date comes piling out with his lips glued to another person.
Maybe Ryan is drawn to Ivy, because he knows what a big deal she is. She cuts down a few fellow queens at the bar when they reveal what they expect from her, but the film keeps Ryan’s intentions clear when he gloms onto this famous queen. It’s refreshing to see a queer person like Ryan be unapologetic about his attraction to a drag performer. After all, queens are a pillar of the community, but the volume of drag performers in romantic storylines remains lacking. A kiss turns into an invitation to stay the night, and they are both aware of the circumstances. Ivy is leaving town the next morning, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be something meaningful, right?
As the night progresses to closer quarters, Palomo’s film hones in on a shot of manicured nails that makes us ponder how femininity and strength live side by side. Gender commands every moment, but there is a softness underneath all that glam and toughness. Fans of the second season of Canada’s Drag Race will be drawn to her once more, but Palomo gives her space. As Ryan, Riley Davis is eager and sweet, giving his partner a curious, adorable foil to play with. I love that Ryan offers to carry her bags as they make their way home.
Getting off doesn’t mean getting off scot free. Palomo’s films hone in on intense touch and how it changes us, and Stay revels in that comfort, in that need for sensation. The title can be read as a command or a suggestion, but here is a warm, inviting coo.
