Those People

The lives, loves, scandals and fixations of a tight-knit group of young members of Manhattan’s social elite are dissected with humor and compassion in this sexy drama from first-time feature director Joey Kuhn. At the center of the story is Charlie Kinberg, a struggling young artist in Manhattan, who is crushing—big-time and unrequitedly—on his longtime best friend Sebastian Blackworth, the beautiful, self-centered son of a recently jailed Wall Street swindler. Convinced that Sebastian should not be judged for the sins of his father, the pining Charlie answers Sebastian’s every call—even when the call comes in the middle of Rosh Hashanah services. But when Charlie casts his own spell on a handsome, gentle musician, Sebastian shows signs of jealousy over Charlie for the first time, and a complicated emotional triangle takes shape. Naming his characters Sebastian and Charles (an artist no less), director/writer Kuhn not only pays homage to the sexual politics of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited but also shares Waugh’s keen interest in observing the rituals and mating dances of social aristocracy, showing a remarkable degree of affection for the foibles of Upper East Side rich kids. Those People may be set in the post–prep school world of Social Register privilege, but inside beats a unique, generous, gay, Jewish heart.

Born and raised in New York City, writer/director Joey Kuhn makes films that draw inspiration from the nexus of fine art and pop culture. Joey’s short films Thinly Veiled (2010) and Now Here (2011) have played at festivals around the world. In addition to his work as a writer/director, Joey is an editor, a still photographer, and a diehard Mariah Carey fan. He graduated from Brown University in 2007 with a B.A. in Art-Semiotics and graduated with an M.F.A. from NYU's Graduate Film Program in May 2014. Those People is his first feature film.