Q&A with Filmmaker Matt Carter About His Gay Rugby Romance

Mark’s league for an away game, Mark ditches his teammates to be alone with Warren, indicating their trysts may be turning into something more serious. As Mark falls more in love with Warren—and they spend more alone time together—Mark rethinks what he wants out of a relationship. Will their love win against all odds?

I recently spoke with Carter for the San Francisco Bay Times about making In from the Side to find out.

Gary M. Kramer: What can you say about making a gay romantic drama about rugby players for your feature directorial debut?

Matt Carter: I think it’s an authentic representation of that world. I’ve been involved with inclusive rugby for eight years as a player, coach, and referee, and that is exactly what that world is like. From the inception of the idea, we wanted no homophobia and no coming out storylines. The fact that these characters are gay is unremarkable and not a comment on that. We just showed their lives. It flavors the story, but it’s not the story’s theme. So many films deal with the angst and stress and dark side of being in the LGBTQ community. [It is] nice to show things as they are and it allows you to look at life after coming out and shows that authentically without having to default to the stereotypes in gay cinema. It is refreshing that there is no drama about their sexuality.

Gary M. Kramer: What about depicting the romance? This is a film that addresses infidelity. Can you discuss why you chose to examine that theme and build the story around that topic?

Matt Carter: Open relations and monogamy are huge topics we’re on the forefront of exploring. The film reflects reality—it does not promote something in a negative or positive way. It invites sympathy for these characters who are doing morally questionable things, but the love they develop is beautiful in and of itself. All the characters are flawed, imperfect, because that’s real life.

Showing that one couple has an open relationship, and one has a closed relationship— which is better, which is worse, are they both problematic? It explores that. But also, the wider friendships and the different friendships we have in the gay community, and the sense of belonging we long for whether that is in a relationship or the community aspect of a rugby club.

Gary M. Kramer: The story is mostly told through Mark’s point of view. We get very little information about Warren’s life; he often just shows up wanting sex and romance. What can you say about creating the characters and developing their relationship?

Matt Carter: We view everything through Mark’s perspective. We rarely linger on Warren. We see Warren through Mark’s eyes, but in the French Alps scene, Warren is vulnerable, and Mark is the confident one. Mark is in his world, and it’s fun to see the bravado and mask Warren wears fall away. It shows what their love could be. continued on page 36)

Warren is desperate for a closeness and that manifests through the physicality of sex and lust. He wants someone who really sees him and who makes him feel something that his current relationship doesn’t. We infer he is a thrill seeker and that he has a shady past and has an addictive personality. He is looking for constant excitement and Mark kind of gives him that. He falls for Mark because he feels really seen by him, and they both find in each other what they don’t have in their current relationships.