Ask Any Buddy (2019)

• 71%
• 2019
• Documentary
• Elizabeth Purchell

ASK ANY BUDDY is a feature-length video companion to the Artforum 'Best of 2018' Instagram feed of the same name. The piece uses fragments from 126 theatrical feature films spanning the years 1968-1986 to create a kaleidoscopic snapshot of urban gay life in the era - or at least how it looked in the movies. From casual tearoom cruising to actual police raids, ASK ANY BUDDY uses rare footage shot at dozens of real bathhouses, bars, movie theaters, pride parades and legendary hotspots like New York's Hudson Piers to explore both the sex film genre's unique blend of fantasy and reality and its role in documenting a subculture that was just starting to come into visibility in the years immediately preceding and following the Stonewall Riots. The piece uses explicit (but not gratuitous!) hardcore footage to accurately depict the social practices and activities that actually went on at these locations. ASK ANY BUDDY was compiled by Evan Purchell, a film historian whose work on the subject has led to collaborations with Dark Entries Records, Dirty Looks, Vinegar Syndrome, and the documentary CIRCUS OF BOOKS. He is currently conducting research for an upcoming book on the history of the gay adult film industry.