“Noir’s almost like a support group,” jokes LA-based filmmaker Aaron Lomeli. “It’s a way of saying ‘Oh, there are other people out there who feel the same way I do.’ Noir is more than pulp magazines and crime films, it’s an attitude I identify with. I’m attracted to the darker side of human nature.”
Lomeli brings his attitude to the screen in his first short film (outside of USC), “The Stranger’s Kiss,” about two young strangers (Sarena Khan and Kevin Brian) who meet outside a bar and quickly become involved – in more ways than one.
Besides wanting to evoke the feeling of classic noir, the writer/director says he wanted to express something about his experience with the LA dating scene, “I find there’s an odd balance between anonymity and intimacy with dating. Young men and women want to get close to someone without giving away too much of themselves just in case the next best thing is right around the corner. It’s hard to ever really know someone out here.”
“The Stranger’s Kiss” will play Saturday, Dec. 1, as part of the Los Angeles Neo Noir Erotic Film Fest, which touts itself as hosting the world’s sexiest and darkest crime short films. The fest plays at 8 p.m. at the Independent Theater, 251 S. Main St., in downtown LA. You can see a trailer of “The Stranger’s Kiss” here.
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