Cas was released by TLA last week. A collection of three short films that explores the complexities of three-way relationships from Europe and North America, this collection looks at it wholly from a male standpoint. The collection kicks off of the titular short film of the collection, CAS. This Dutch short film depicts a couple in a seven year relationship whose lives are shaken up when they meet the charming and charismatic Cas, whom they invite to sleep on their sofa. Initially causing tension between the pair, it isn’t long before they both start to fall for him. A character-driven piece, this is a 21st century depiction of the fluidity of non-conventional relationships, which intimately depicts the suspicion and stress created once love becomes more than a two-way street. Next in the collection is American BED BUDDIES a short film in which three gay friends wake up in bed together, realising that they all slept together the night before. What follows is a conversation in which they examine their friendships, attraction for one another and the nature of gay relationships. Shot in black and white in attempt to give it an arty edge, this is essentially three hot guys standing around in their pants. The collection concludes with Canadian TRI-CURIOUS, a short film about a male couple’s first threesome. As they wait for their guest star to arrive they get cold feet, attempting to cancel but failing to get in contact before he is knocking at their door. Vaguely comic, this ten minute piece doesn’t quite manage to lift the lid on either the character’s’ feelings or the relationship that they are exploring together.
In its totality, this DVD collection lifts the lid on three-way relationships but instead chooses to focus on sex. While three-ways of course make for engaging viewing, for a collection that claims to be focused on these unconventional relationship, it shies away from going into any real depth and is almost wholly negative. CAS is definitely the highlight of the three, which if presented alone would have been a very strong piece, but with the other two alongside it, the piece becomes a somewhat cheapened sausage-fest.