Four

The title screen of our DVD preview disc for this US indie simply read ‘Four Play’, an appropriate intro for a film which teases skilfully but never quite gets to the good stuff. Wendell Pierce (Bunk from ‘The Wire’) plays Joe, a married, gay man who picks up a nervous teenager and takes him to a motel room. Meanwhile, Joe’s daughter, Abi (Aja Naomi King), deals with her complex feelings for a mouthy young basketball player. First-time feature director Joshua Sanchez adapts from a stage play by Christopher Shinn, and the resulting film feels stagey and a touch forced. All the performances are strong and there’s a handful of convincing emotional beats, but ‘Four’ never hits a comfortable stride.