The short film “The Summer House” begins with a cozy domestic scene. A young couple in love -- Greg and Chris -- are settling in at the cottage once owned by Greg’s father.
But within minutes, things get scary, with the spirit of Greg’s homophobic father stalking his son around the small house.
Or is it?
"I am really drawn to stories about people who are told they don't fit in; who are told that they don't fit the mold of what society expects," says Luke Willis, who wrote and directed the film. It's one of dozens of shorts that will be screened during the Key West Film Festival, which runs this week.
Willis grew up in north Florida, where attitudes toward the LGBTQ community were quite different than those in Key West, considered one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world. In his storytelling, Willis draws inspiration from past experiences that he says led to trauma surrounding his self-identity.
And if the film was screening in his north Florida hometown as opposed to Key West, how would it go over?
Willis admits he would be scared to find out.
"I think there are some people who would probably feel bad that I felt that way. But then would go home and pray for me to find a way out of my 'homosexual sin,'" he says. "And I think there are others that would respond with a little bit of heartbreak; that that IS the reality of growing up in a lot of America and a lot of parts of the world right now."
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IF YOU GO:
The Key West Film Festival
November 20-24
See the full 2019 Key West Film Festival, here.
