Stills from the film
Défense de fumer by Bruce LaBruce
Featuring an auto shop, a fleet of leather daddies, and a lot of smoke
Ok, first thing’s first: smoking is bad for your health. I know, I know, that should go without saying these days, but before I continue, let me reiterate: smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year with more than 41,000 of those deaths due to exposure to secondhand smoke. So, while cigarettes and cigars may still be the most common fashion accessory in editorials and films, it’s good to keep in mind that smoking is still a totally preventable cause of death and disease that also makes you smell pretty fucking bad most of the time (besides, pot is a far better option if you absolutely must take care of that oral fixation).
With that being said, Bruce LaBruce, provocateur director of all things bizarre and erotic, has taken it upon himself to direct a stunning new short film, Défense de fumer (literally translated as “No Smoking“), for the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal. Set to a classical soundtrack, the film begins by following a mechanic to his smoke break from work, puffing on a cigar. Then, he is inexplicably surrounded by a crew of leather daddies who all start smoking cigars, too, until there’s a mantle of smoke that changes from gray to red, the score shifting to a pulsing club beat, the auto shop now a leather club. It’s all very homoerotic and well-filmed and bewildering, which is really the best kind of short film, isn’t it?
Watch Défense de fumer below:
