We’ve all seen romantic comedies before and it’s often hard to distinguish one from the next — one guy torn between two women or a girl forced to choose between two men. Sound familiar?
Tired of unimaginative, unoriginal plotlines, local filmmaker Lucas Omar decided to turn the romcom genre on its head with his new web series, Three, a modern-day take on the love triangle.
Filmed throughout Tampa Bay, the series will focus on three twenty-somethings: outgoing, over-the-top Layla, who’s straight; her best friend, uptight, bookish Tanner, who’s gay; and Jason, the bisexual object of both of their affections.
When Layla (Amber Sym) and Tanner (Omar) realize they’ve been dating the same guy for nearly a month “things get really complicated and it basically turns into a sexual nightmare,” said Omar. The suggestion of a threesome — really a competition between the best friends where the one who leaves Jason (Andrew Sturby) the most satisfied will date him exclusively — unexpectedly leads them into a polyamorous relationship.
“They try to make this thing work,” Omar said. “Because, in a sense, for Tanner it’s somewhat comforting. Rather than having an open relationship were Jason is sleeping with people he doesn’t know, he’s like, ‘[Layla,] you’re dating this guy, I know you. I trust you.’”
It pulls the predictable Tanner out of his comfort zone. The relationship also tones down the oversexed Layla, showing her there’s more brains and depth to her than she ever realized, and balances out Jason, who’s attracted to different personality traits in each partner.
Omar purposefully centered the relationship on a bisexual character.
“Bisexuality was a nice stepping stone. I think it’s misunderstood,” he said. “When it comes to bisexual males, if you ask others about it, they’re often going to say, ‘Oh, it’s a transition phase. Oh, one day you’re going to figure out if you’re gay or straight.’ Bisexuality isn’t about being attracted to the biological sex of the person; it’s about who the person is.”
Sexual openness is also at the heart of the Palm Harbor-based auteur’s project.
“I find it so interesting that in a modern society where everything bleeds sex — TV, social media — yet we’re so conservative about it,” Omar said. “I think sex should be an open dialogue just as common as talking about the weather or your homework assignment and that will lead to healthier decisions.”
This is where film comes in.
“It’s such a powerful medium,” he said. “In this show, we’re saying it’s a safe space because all of these people know each other.”
And as a gay man, Omar feels the queer community isn’t being accurately portrayed onscreen.
“Let’s talk about the queer community on TV,” he said. “What shows are on primetime that everyone gets to see? Modern Family. There’s LGBT. Maybe the ‘G’ is covered. On Modern Family there are pretty accepted, multi-dimensional characters, and maybe even Glee is tackling that. And I’ve heard of Meet the Fosters, [about a lesbian couple and their family.] But there really isn’t much else.”
He added, “Three shows out of the hundreds and hundreds on TV. … and these days it isn’t just LGBT. It’s LGBTQAI. Gender is limitless and we can’t even tackle [the] first four [letters.]
So far, Omar has shot the pilot for Three. But he’s recently launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the $20,000 needed to film the remaining four episodes of the series — and if they can raise more than that they’ll be able to shoot the bonus episodes Omar has planned.
And 10 percent of funds raised will be donated to the creation of Metro Wellness and Community Centers’ planned LGBT Welcome Center in St. Petersburg. The venue will serve as a safe space for youth and provide visitors and residents with information about what’s going on in the area.
“Giving back to the community is so important,” said Omar.
A recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a bachelor’s degree in film studies and production, Omar also studied film abroad. He earned a production certificate from The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.
His graduate thesis project, White, won first place at the Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival and will be screened at the Gasparilla International Film Festival this weekend. His short film, Show & Tell premiered at Muvico Centro Ybor 20 in December.
For more information on how to donate to Three, go here.