Through the unsparing way in which the stories of these three young people play out, Sean is confronted with his lack of self-acceptance as a gay man stemming from his traumatic introduction to sex as a child. Sean instantly falls for Johnny, who possesses a magnificent physique, strong-jawed handsomeness and an easygoing personality. The naive Sean is taken aback because the porn star has long been the man of his dreams. An attractive enough twentysomething gay man, Sean gets a job at Men of Janus Productions, ostensibly as a video cameraman, but he is expected to do anything he’s told to-including acting as a “fluffer” for the company’s mega-star, Johnny Rebel (Scott Gurney), physically getting him into the mood to perform for the camera. However, in an era of runaway production, veterans as well as newcomers are taking crew jobs on porn productions to pay the rent or gain experience. The film’s protagonist, Sean (Michael Cunio), arrives in Hollywood determined to break into the film industry, much like countless other film students before him.
By the same token, “The Fluffer’s” writer and co-director, Wash West, researched the world of gay porn so thoroughly that he ended up making some adult videos himself.
Breaking into the gay porn industry tv#
That’s because it is co-directed by Richard Glatzer, whose 1994 debut feature “Grief” made hilarious use of his experiences as producer of “Divorce Court.” Glatzer took us into the crazed world of the writers for a lurid daytime courtroom TV show yet took his people seriously amid much laughter. That it is a fine example of modest-budget filmmaking, boasting first-rate acting, writing and directing, is not all that surprising. “The Fluffer” begins as the light satire on the gay porn industry its title suggests, but then develops parallel stories of thwarted love and ultimately emerges as a coming-of-age odyssey of notable substance and honesty.