Diary entries forThe Dare Project
The Dare Project
whoever made the decision to follow up the original short (a short most gays have seen, mind you) with an ending that is so similarly disappointing to the first part...come outside, i'm not gonna jump you
The Dare Project
“Are you happy?” It’s been a few years since I last watched this follow up to Dare (https://boxd.it/4kGSfl), and I’m feeling much more favorable about it this viewing. I don’t know how I’ve “matured” or why my viewpoint has shifted but nonetheless, I find how this short went to be very satisfying and true to how life goes. It’s not necessarily about “the one that got away” moreso a contemplation on “what-if” between two guys who shared a formative and brief connection that neither will ever forget. What if they had both been out in high school? What if the world had been different back then? Those are interesting things to ponder on but what’s more interesting is how both of the leads exist in the world now: “Doesn’t it get better?” ”It gets…more complicated.” Which, is very true. The world’s changed so much for the better, but in some ways (as we are currently seeing in real time) it’s stayed the same too. Navigating it as a queer person can still be terrifying and at times so weird and surreal it feels like you’re not real. Take THE DARE PROJECT for example. Bumping into your high school crush decades later at a random party? In LA? What are the odds? Speaking to that—what I appreciated most about this short is how Ben (and Johnny, to an extent) still has unresolved feelings from his teen years, even though it’s been nearly 20 years. They don’t necessarily hold him back from being a fully realized person but they are there, waiting for some kind of closure. Salkly realizes this and gives the character that. Wish fulfillment would have been nice, but I’m fine with this ending because it’s a situation that feels true to life. Not sad or bittersweet…just real. That being said, I’d love a sequel. Clearly it’s left open ended for that reason. @AdamSalky let’s get that Kickstarter going!
