Watching sex scenes in films can be uncomfortable. Yet Jordan Barger and Anali Cabrera want to highlight all the awkward and cringeworthy aspects of intimacy.
First-year film students Barger and Cabrera wrote and directed their film “Let’s Talk About ‘It'” for the UCLA Film and Photography Society. The film, which was finished Sunday, follows students Yesenia and Aurora as they navigate new sexual encounters upon entering college. Cabrera said she didn’t want to include cheesy romance, and instead intended to focus on the confusing aspects of the college sex landscape.
“(Barger) and I realized that there aren’t enough films that show the gray areas of sex in college,” Cabrera said. “In media, whether it be in TV shows or films, they depict sex in a very beautiful, polished, perfect way … when in reality, it’s not like that.”
In the film, the characters step into college with high expectations for their sex lives. However, they come to realize that sex in college does not always meet the standards they’ve become so used to hearing about, and that there is no need to force anything.
“Some people might be having a lot of sex, and that’s great, as long as they’re the ones in control of that,” Barger said. “There are also people who might not be having sex at all, and that’s also up to them. … Being autonomous and in control is the most important thing when it comes to college sex life.”
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One of the main inspirations for “Let’s Talk About ‘It'” was Netflix show “Sex Education,” which debuted early this year, Cabrera said. The show is set in high school and depicts how awkward sex can be. However, Barger and Cabrera felt there were still topics that weren’t addressed thoroughly in the series, especially for college students, who are in a completely different setting.
“We thought ‘Sex Education’ addressed everything it should’ve; however, it took place in high school rather than college,” Cabrera said. “(Barger) and I both felt that when we were entering college as first-years, we didn’t know what to expect in terms of the college sex scene, … and our film tries to communicate that.”
The two protagonists’ arcs in “Let’s Talk About ‘It’” are based on Cabrera and Barger’s lives. Though the students were initially unsure about including their personal narratives, they became more comfortable with sharing their own experiences over the course of making the film, Cabrera said.
“It’s really nerve-wracking – especially in this kind of situation – to base the characters solely on yourself, but we thought that was the best way to make it authentic,” Barger said.
When they first began to write the film, Barger and Cabrera were in a lecture hall, and Cabrera was reminiscing about her hookup with a boy from the night before. While Barger was jotting down notes from the professor, Cabrera began writing Yesenia’s story.
Cabrera wanted to include not just her life experiences, but also her culture. One of the only criteria during casting was that the character Yesenia be Hispanic, as she said the Latinx community continues to be underrepresented in film. In addition, Cabrera said she believes culture plays a big part in sexual experiences.
“In Hispanic culture, for example, there’s the idea of not having sex until marriage and the idea that sex is sinful,” Cabrera said. “Although sex is really big in college, culture plays a significant role in what we choose to do and why many people can feel hesitant.”
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Actress Lauren Renee, who portrays Yesenia in the film, said she personally connected to the character not only because she is Mexican American, but also because she is still learning to navigate the dating world. Renee said she believes the film can be reassuring for many college students who find themselves in confusing sexual situations.
“I liked the nitty-gritty aspect of the script and how it portrayed ways that sex could be awkward, weird and funny,” Renee said. “I also liked how the script showed that women can like sex as well, and women can be just as bold and brave towards sex as a man can be.”