Really, the Cruising tie-in is just a pretext for Franco to explore gay sexuality, a theme that recurs so often in his work that rumors continue to be fanned about his own orientation. At least that’s the initial plan once Franco and Mathews are on set, with extras milling around in various forms of undress, it becomes clear that fidelity to the source material is a low priority. Leather Bar., it’s a 60-minute experimental project that finds Franco and co-director Travis Mathews re-creating 40 sexually charged minutes of “lost footage” from William Friedkin’s controversial 1980 gay thriller Cruising. That’s a moment from Franco’s newest film, a Sundance entry that people definitely will want to talk about this week: Titled Interior.
“Everybody fucking watches porn!” shouts James Franco, a wide smile on his face, after watching two men engage in sadomasochistic sex just ten feet from him.
