About to turn sixty, a longtime sex worker considers retiring as his yearning for real intimacy begins to supersede his desire for transactional sex.
In a remote neighborhood in Queens, NY, leafy Autumn trees line a timeworn street on a moderate day. A row of shabby buildings are squeezed next to each other.
James, stylish, youthful, Latin X strolls down the sidewalk talking on his cell phone. He stops at a light, waits for it to turn green and continues. Scored by classical piano, we hear audio of a client requesting his services and James describing what he does. They make an appointment. When James enters his apartment, it’s a clean safe haven; a softly lit cocoon. In a series of close-ups, his beautiful art and photographs that surround him inform his taste. Minimal distractions from the outside world allow the impact of each moment and every emotion to sink in. We see the care and intentionality of James getting ready for his client. He sets up the massage table, arranges the oils and lotions, etc. This is the ritual James does to prepare emotionally, physically and spiritually before his client appears. The look is soft and sexy with warm colors and humor. Throughout this scene, we cut to James in an interview where we hear his thoughts about how he started sex work and how he has not only survived but thrived. Still going strong after 39 years at age 59, one has to have a lot of wisdom, street smarts, humor, and a positive attitude. One has to be 'exceptional'. Immediately, we see James is warm, funny, and has a big heart. As a “Masseur,” he goes by “Bobby.” He gets satisfaction from fulfilling men’s needs and a “kind” of intimacy from his connection to his clients. One of the qualities that makes James special is that he has no shame about what he does or who he is. James turns 60 in March of 2025 and hopes to retire so he can finally meet someone special and get into a committed relationship. It has been impossible to do that while he is still a “massage boy.” At 60 he will have done 40 years of sex work. He believes there is perfection in that.
Jill is an award-winning screenwriter and a documentary filmmaker who focuses on gritty character-driven material and exposing the truth in a compelling unexpected way. Her screenplays have been finalists for the Athena Lab, The Big Apple Screenplay Competition, The Metropolitan Screenplay Competition, Unique Voices, semi-finalists for Final Draft's Big Break Competition, Stowe Story Labs and gotten her fellowships to Hedgebrook, the Middlebury Screenwriting Lab , "See Jane Fight is currently being developed in Canada. Her award-winning feature doc, “Fight Like a Girl” played several festivals and won a special award from the World Boxing Council. The also "Award-winning "Squirrel Wars" sold to Journeyman Features., Her feature Stripped”won awards at festivals, ran theatrically in New York and LA, sold internationally and ran on the Sundance Channel. Other films played festivals such as, Hot Docs, Newport Beach FF, Aspen FF ,AFI, Santa Barbara Film Festival, The Sebastopol Documentary FF and the International San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.Morley wrote and performed the critically acclaimed play, "True Confessions of a Go-Go Girl" which was published in “The Best Women’s Plays of 1998,” ran Off Broadway for several years, was performed across the country, including the San was performed across the country, including the San Francisco’s “Solo Mio Fest
