The Tribeca Film Festival is in full swing, which means shows, movies, and short films are making the rounds. One such project is “Kevin’s Series of Unfortunate Events,” an episode of “Patterns,” a queer-themed comedy anthology series from Aurelia Pictures that, in the gay tradition, depicts life and love (and the occasional murder conspiracy) through the prism of camp.
No, not like summer camp. To be camp is to take normal reality and heighten it to the point where the the sensibilities are pushed into the stratosphere. Camp celebrates the absurd, the melodramatic, the silly, and that’s where we find “Patterns.” The show is a loosely interconnected anthology, with each episode telling a stand-alone story, though some characters recur across multiple episodes.
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The episode shown at Tribeca, “Kevin’s Series of Unfortunate Events,” follows a young cutie (Jake Watkins), a struggling actor (hence the dorky salamander costume) on a series of increasingly ill-fated first dates. To say the least, none of these dates work out. The episode is a tonal tap-dancer, gracefully jumping from absurdist comedy to saccharine romance and kindly character study. Much credit goes to Watkins for making Kevin likable, hilarious, and adorable. The character may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, so to speak, but he’s sincere and sweet, and it’s impossible not to root for him on his quirky quest to find love (or at least get laid without getting into an unreasonable amount of trouble).
I had the opportunity to chat with director Rex Glensy and writer/executive producer Asad Moghal about their work on the series. We talk about “Kevin’s Series of Unfortunate Events,” and how the episode is autobiographical for Moghal. We also discuss some of the other episodes of the show, including one featuring special guest star (and gay living legend) Derek Jacobi. They talk about developing the greater “Patterns” universe and why Asad doesn’t like to be on set after his scripts have been finalized. They also discuss the nature of camp storytelling and how “Patterns” was developed with that sensibility in mind.
Our interview can be watched below. “Kevin’s Series of Unfortunate Events” is playing at the Tribeca Film Festival. Its first two screenings sold out, so a third was added (and is also sold out). Assuming things go well at the festival, you’ll be able to watch the series yourself sometime in the near future.
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