On The Bus (Documentary)

Dustin Lance Black is now a very famous name thanks to the 2008 film Milk that he wrote. Its a shame that I didn't realize this documentary was actually directed by him ay back in 2001. But anyway, I should still try to put my thoughts independent of that fact. 'On The Bus' was originally commissioned as a reality show by a TV entertainment network which later was closed, so Lance, who was now stuck with the footage decided to convert this to an indie documentary feature.

The documentary is about 6 different young gay men traveling in a bus from California to Burning Man, a festival known to us all as the festival of radical self-expression. Of course Lance is the lead director along with his producer and they put together. Steam of guys to go on a journey with them. We have a very cute 19 year old Jason who is a porn actor; a waiter cum actor names Charles and Jimmy, a hunky Swedish national. And we have an average looking Damon, whom Lance hopes to balance things. Once on the road, bumps along the way lend to an unplanned sleep-over in a Reno hotel. It is here that sexual tensions breed rivalry, the most intimate details of these fast new friends are revealed, and question number two arises, "Sex, Sex, Sex, maybe that's all there is." Arriving at Burning Man, innocence and experience come face to face as members of the cast explore the sexuality, drug culture, and wild freedom of the event. However, when sexual tensions finally come to a head, a sandstorm smashes through their campsite acting as a metaphor for the group's inner turmoil. Over the course of the week the show evolves, and sexual tensions take a back seat as the cameras delve into the often-conflicted souls of this eclectic group, shattering the happy-go-lucky stereotypes they were originally brought on board to brandish.

The documentary starts off well. The characters are well introduced and you wanna know more about them. But part of you also know that eventually this is all going to lead to sex and drama. Eventually it felt that the characters were all superficial and they were made to talk about subjects that clearly none of them had any knowledge or interest. I can see something like that could be a good pitch for a reality show, but turning this into documentary serves no purpose at all. How much ever the director tries to put his best efforts, the eventual outcome is pretty lame and extremely uninteresting despite a handful of penis shots. Watching some hot white young men on a paid gig pretending to explore the darkness, freedom, joy, and adventure of Nevada's annual Burning Man event, is not my cup of tea. (2/10)

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