Getting Go, the Go Doc Project (2013)
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College boy “Doc” is obsessed with a well-known NYC go-go dancer, nicknamed “Go.” He befriends his hunky crush under the ruse of shooting a movie about what it’s like to live in his skin. Camera in hand, he follows his subject across the city – into bars, onto rooftops, over dance floors and, ultimately, into his bedroom – but as they grow closer, flirtation blurs the line between subject and filmmaker until a steamy night together solidifies deeper feelings. Cory Kruekeberg’s explicit directorial debut explores the thrill and danger of getting exactly what you wish for.
When college student and vlogger Doc (Tanner Cohen) develops an obsession with a well-known go-go dancer, nicknamed Go (Matthew Camp), he decides to try and befriend his crush. Using the excuse of filming a movie about Go’s life, Doc soon finds himself getting closer and closer to his object of affection.
Getting Go: The Go Doc Project marks the directorial début of Cory Krueckeberg, who described the film as a ‘no budget experiment’ in reaction to the industry red tape that can bog down a film getting made. An accurate description perhaps, though one that does a disservice to the end product. It may have been made on a shoestring budget, with a little help from a Kickstarter campaign, but Getting Go is a wonderful addition to the notoriously patchy LGBT cinema strand. Krueckeberg’s use of iPhone cameras and webcams may have been part-driven by a lack of funding, but it also ensures the believability of the story. Furthermore, it fosters an overall feeling of intense voyeurism and intimacy, a fact undoubtedly magnified by the film’s cast basically consisting of just Camp and Cohen.
If viewers aren’t thrown by the fairly explicit opening scene, then they are ultimately in for an unexpected treat. Exploring the obsessive portraiture filmmaking Andy Warhol invented with Eat, Kiss and Sleep – something we see Doc studying and subsequently replicating with Go – Getting Go is an unusual but highly enjoyable exploration of two very different characters who are eventually drawn to each other, but under the lens of a very 21st century voyeuristic setting.
The film’s open narrative and uncontrived dialogue is mirrored by Camp and Cohen’s naturalistic performances. Camp in particular is superb as the vulnerable hunk, whose initial flirtatious bravado subsides to reveal an intelligent and sensitive side, as he opens up to Cohen’s Doc while making the documentary – all the more impressive bearing in mind that this is Camp’s first foray into acting. Meanwhile, Cohen brings a warmth and endearing quality to Doc that, considering the potentially creepy interpretation of his actions, could easily have been portrayed poorly by a less competent actor. Casting is always important, but all the more so when there are so few characters involved.
Through Camp and Cohen as well as his own script and direction, Krueckeberg has produced a little gem of LGBT cinema that brings two engaging and likeable characters to the fore. Considering the quality of Getting Go with such a humble budget, Krueckeberg is certainly a writer and director to keep an eye on.
Originally published on So So Gay on 23 June 2014.
