Short films often struggle to justify their existence, either feeling like a rushed concept or an overlong sketch. William Branden Blinn’s award-winning Thirteen or So Minutes avoids both pitfalls by distilling a lifetime of confusion, discovery, and sudden intimacy into its brief runtime. This isn’t just a snapshot; it’s a profound seismic event that happens quietly, in a single room, between two strangers.
The setup is deceptively simple and, let’s be honest, instantly intriguing: Lawrence Jefferies (Soper) and Hugh Greerey (Salas) are two straight men who have just met. Both have a history of girlfriends. Now, a mere handful of minutes later—thirteen or so, if you want to be precise—they are left staring at the ceiling, or maybe at the wall, grappling with the fact that they’ve just spontaneously had sex.
The film’s true genius lies in what follows. Once the physical act is over, the real intimacy begins. The narrative pivots entirely to the conversation, the hesitant, vulnerable, and often comical dialogue between the two men as they attempt to map out the uncharted territory of their shared experience verbally. This isn’t about sensationalising a sudden moment of fluidity; it’s about the raw, honest human response to discovering a desire you never knew you possessed.
Soper and Salas are excellent. They play the moment not for shock, but for genuine, bewildered chemistry. You feel their confusion, their panic, and the underlying, undeniable strong desire that the Wikipedia premise refers to. Director and writer Blinn understands that the biggest stakes often exist not in explosions or car chases, but in the terrifying moment when you have to admit something true and unexpected about yourself.
By winning prizes at festivals like the Rainbow Film Festival, the film proves that its exploration of social and sexuality issues resonates powerfully. It suggests that attraction isn’t always a rigidly defined path, but sometimes a sudden, inexplicable detour. Thirteen or So Minutes is a thoughtful and essential watch that manages to convey more about the messy, beautiful complexities of human sexuality in fourteen minutes than most feature-length dramas do in two hours. A great piece of work.
Director: William Branden Blinn
Writer: William Branden Blinn
Stars: Nick Soper, Carlos Salas
Running Time: 14 minutes
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