A different kind of gay drama that leaves you thinking.

I received a screening link for “Blue Film,” and I think it might be part of the theatrical release, but it begins with SMPTE color bars within the Obscured Releasing logo. Nothing is wrong with my link and nothing is wrong with the theater. That’s how the film starts, because have a story regarding a gay camboy and his perverted client.

The following I’m about to mention may make some viewers uncomfortable, especially since there are those who have been molested, and I can’t speak for them. The decision to see this at your local art house theater is up to you. But I’m still recommending “Blue Film” for its fearless dialogue and consistent character study between the only two characters in the film.

This camboy with the fake name Aaron Eagle (Kieron Moore) specializes in dropping the “F” word and attracting his fans with his body and agrees to give one of them a full package deal if they give him a substantial amount of tips. That’s when he’s offered $25k for visiting the rental home of a masked man named Hank Grant (Reed Birney), who films him with a camcorder, offers him beer, and wants him to be honest with himself. The young man begins to question his interrogation.

Actually, he doesn’t want to be aroused by the young man; he wants to reunite with him. When Aaron takes off Hank’s mask, he remembers him as his perverted teacher and convicted sex offender from his youth. He knew this guy attempted to molest another student of his, but this isn’t a revenge thriller. It becomes a night of character development as the old man and the young man learn about each other, despite the circumstances.

How did the teacher become a pervert and was he born that way? That’s a question that can’t be determined here, but “Blue Film” tries to show us how the former teacher is trying to redeem himself, even though we’re not completely sure about that. Birney’s performance is flat-out brilliant, and he deserves a lot more than what credit gives to him as an actor. And this may be his best performance since “Mass.”

And Moore, whose TV credits include “Masters of the Air” and “Sex Education,” makes his film debut with an attitude. As I began to watch him, I wasn’t sure what to think of him. I don’t know his world and how he got into making these videos for profit. But the more I watched this film, the more I saw who he was and where he was going.

This is the feature debut of writer/director Elliot Tuttle, who also made the hour long film “The Steps” and a podcast series called “Lina’s Song.” He needs to work on the pacing a bit when it comes to the sex scenes, but he studies the characters and their complications. A pervert and one of his students spending the night together is something to think about. I wonder what probably would happen if “Before Sunset” had a one night stand with “Call Me By Your Name” and made some very bad choices later on. “Blue Film” would probably be that film.

Again, I warn you that this isn’t an easy film to watch. Even if we don’t see the former teacher’s dirty deeds, it’s still uncomfortable to think about. How people will take this film is not up to me. It’s all based on how they view it. But being the critic with a standpoint, I think “Blue Film” is daring, beautifully photographed by Ryan Jackson-Healy, well-acted by Birney and Moore, and I like how the very short end credits are set to shower sounds. It’s a gay drama that plays authentically, and speaks with a thought-provoking nature.

In Select Theaters This Week