Really Surprised!

Charming and brutal

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Twink is an intriguing, experimental pet-project about how deep and revealing a subject and an industry can be if you confine a film in terms of its setting and the number of its characters. The only two actors, one of them an unseen character, are Jason Impey and Wade Radford, who also serve as the writers and directors of the project. We focus on Quinn (Wade Radford), a retired gay porn star who used to go by the name "Kayden Daydream." Quinn is approached in his tiny, disorganized loft by a documentarian, who is interested in Quinn and his experiences with the adult industry, particularly the "twink" demographic. For the next hour, we watch Quinn uncover revealing details about the industry, in addition to seemingly treading the line of his own personal instability.Confining Twink to only one setting, consisting of medium-length, static shots of Radford's Quinn was probably the best option for this film as a whole. Rather than getting distracted by stylistic attributes and bathing the film in random, decorative aesthetics, Impey and Radford are more concerned, at the end of it all, with the subject at hand and painting him as a severely troubled soul, addicted to drugs and alcohol, because of past experiences in a very dirty industry. Quinn gives us brutally honest reasons as to why we, the audience, watches and loves porn, but rarely do we think about the repercussions and the emotions of the performers. Quinn's explicitness only adds to the true layer of honesty the film loves to profile, making this a deeply haunting, even troubling film at times, especially in the latter half, as we see Quinn's emotions escalate dramatically.At only a little over an hour, the film is a quick-watch, but not one that's easy to digest or to be soon forgotten. For relatively new directors, Impey and Radford employ quiet touches of stylistic charm by the way they choose to shoot the film from certain angles or playing with the filters and the exposure to replicate some type of mood. It's the kind of rare one/two-man project where a great deal of potential is brought forth and a lot of it lives up accordingly, without being too self-satisfying or too empty. Given how short Twink is, it's almost asking to be forgotten after it's watched, but its content and its depiction begs otherwise.Starring: Wade Radford. Directed by: Jason Impey and Wade Radford.

Wade Radford captures the essence of a broken twink with his intense on screen presence. His captivating eye contact with the camera (his audience) draws you into his world undone. the backdrop sets the harsh reality that has become Radford's character, dim, dreary, broken and disheartening, which, in turn, represents also, this character who has been chewed up and spat out by an unrelenting, unforgiving and simply unkind industry of which he was formerly a player on the field of. The camera work is raw and simple, however, assisting to create this less than perfect environment. You feel to be in the room, looking through the eyes of a documentary maker. The absence of any other on screen character (only appearing in audio)as the voice of the documentary maker, gives into the solitude and loneliness of this once known star, having fallen. "Twink" tells a story of one young mans journey through the highs and lows of industry fame to anonymity, and sets you up for a grand finale that is both shockingly real and completely unexpected. "Twink" answers, but also asks many questions to the audience and will have you come away from this film viewing some unspoken truths of a harsh reality in an industry many would not question, seeking it solely for our own pleasure. "Twink" is a must watch and will leave you spellbound, wanting to seek out more of Wade Radford's work. A gritty, truthful, raw and real flick, that's a must watch for anyone who enjoys witty cinema making.

Wade Radford is a captivating presence and in this documentary-themed indie film Twink, it is impossible to take your eyes off of his performance. There isn't a second goes by when he makes you believe he is anyone other than deeply troubled former Twink porn star Kayden, real name Quinn.The gradual revelations that come pulls you deep into his now solitary world of self-torture and deep-seated mental illness. Afflictions he attempts to deal with by self-medicating himself via drink and drugs in his run down bedsit. The erratic behaviour towards the interviewer creates a necessary tension so you're really not quite sure what he might end up doing. This just keeps you hooked all the more so that even though signals are there for the climactic final scene, I still somehow wasn't expecting it.A superb performance from an actor I believe is very much underrated. I must also note regards the music on the film too. It was brilliant and so perfectly captured the overall edgy atmosphere.

Ultra low budget and pretty much ab-libbed all the way through. I needed to watch 3 times to take everything in. A very simple effective premise that works 100%. Wade Radford delivers what is surely a dark, gloomy, sickening and yet utterly engrossing performance. A young British talent that will surely take the independent film sector by storm. It takes something to keep the viewer gripped and the single actor performance is a testament to Wades skill and ability Saying anything more could give something away. Sit back and strap yourself in, but prepare to have your head messed with as you try to process the dark an murky mind set of the film.