Throuple

Throuple is the first screenplay and feature-length starring role for Michael Doshier. He stars in this Greyson Horst-directed romantic drama as Michael, a young, selfish gay man who is stuck in life. While he has a decent enough paying day job, Michael is too afraid to follow his dreams of singing his songs on stage. Romantically, he’s had trysts but never has been in love. It doesn’t help matters that he’s relationship with bestie Tristan (Tristan Carter-Jones) is one of deep dependency and invasiveness.

Unfortunately, neither Michael nor Tristan views it that way, which causes a massive problem for Abby (Jess Gabor), who plans on proposing to Tristan if only Tristan can stand up for herself against Michael. Fate intervenes when Michael meets Georgie (Stanton Plummer-Cambridge) and Connor (Tommy Heleringer), a married couple looking to open up their relationship. Michael begins to feel things he’s never experienced before as the threesome goes out and makes out. But everything overwhelms him, meaning Michael might destroy it all just as it gets really deep. If he’ll do that to his own life, who’s to say he won’t do something similar to Tristan and Abby?

Throuple is an interesting and unique look at romance and what it takes to be happy. Unfortunately, the takeaway at the end begs certain questions about replacing one dependency for another. When that is coupled with the strangely shot blurred running that precedes the questionable moment, the overall impact is lessened. To say more constitutes spoiling literally every plot detail, so forgive if this complaint seems a little vague.

“…Michael meets Georgie and Connor, a married couple looking to open up their relationship.”

But that isn’t to say there’s nothing to like or appreciate here. For starters, Doshier is an excellent thespian. His confusion over what love feels like rings true, as does his passion for music. Doshier shares great chemistry with all his co-stars, which helps sell the degree of closeness to these people. Carter-Jones highlights her love for both Abby and Michael well while playing up the obliviousness over her best friend’s behavior. Gabor excels as the most mature and upfront of the initial friend group, expressing a lot of what the audience is thinking/feeling. Plummer-Cambridge and Heleringer are brilliant. Together, they come across as a married couple who are very much in love. Individually, they each showcase an impressive range and strict control over their facial expressions and body language.

Two scenes in Throuple are so profound that it is a shame the conclusion doesn’t wholly work. An intimate conversation about marriage and love between Connor and Georgie wells up tears in the eyes. It’s truthful and spot-on in every respect. The other moment is a refusal of a hug. Michael and Abby are having a serious talk, and he asks her to bring it in for a hug. She refuses. It’s a stunning reveal that becoming aware of any self-issues does not erase past mistakes or negate the problems created before self-actualization.

Throuple sports a brilliant cast in meaty roles. It is also a unique look at romance from not only an LGBTQIA+ perspective but also a poly view that makes even the most well-worn tropes fresh. For most of the film, the dialogue is crackling and realistic. But the odd running scene is nothing but a distraction, and the ending message does raise a few questions (again, I don’t want to spoil things). Overall, this is a strong first screenplay from a new voice, Doshier, who more than makes up for his lack of experience on that front due to his excellent performance.

For more information, visit the official Throuple site.