On the Bus

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• 2001
• 1 hr 37 mins
• Documentary

• Watchlist

• Watchlist

On The Bus' original intention was to be a fun-loving, rambunctious, half-hour Internet program about a group of young, gay men on a bus trip from Los Angeles to Burning Man, a festival of radical self expression in the Nevada desert. However, after returning from a week of shooting, stereotypes had fallen apart, and it became clear that this story had far more to tell than a half hour internet show could lend. Almost immediately On The Bus challenges the viewer with the notion that "Even in absolute freedom, some things are still sacred." - Damon Intrabartolo (cast member #6) . It is here that Director Dustin Lance Black begins this story. Lance is hired by The Digital Entertainment Network (DEN) to produce, direct and participate in an Internet reality show with an all gay cast. He then hires Billy Kaufman as co-producer and cast member number two. Charles Kinsley, a gorgeous actor/waiter, Jason Webb, porn star Dean O'Conner, and Jimmy Sjodin, a Swedish Olympic diver soon follow. Concerned with the Network's desire to cast only the most attractive men, director Dustin Lance Black lobbies hard to include Damon Intrabartolo, an average looking music composer, who climbs on board armed with wry observations, and a biting wit. Once on the road, bumps along the way lend to an unplanned sleep-over in a Reno hotel. It is here that sexual tensions breed rivalry, the most intimate details of these fast new friends are revealed, and question number two arises, "Sex, Sex, Sex, maybe that's all there is." - frustrated director Dustin Lance Black. Arriving at Burning Man, it would seem that nothing is too radical or extreme for the adventuresome sextet. Innocence and experience come face to face as members of the cast explore the sexuality, drug culture, and wild freedom of the event. However, when sexual tensions finally come to a head, a sandstorm smashes through their campsite acting as a metaphor for the group's inner turmoil. Over the course of the week the show evolves, and sexual tensions take a back seat as the cameras delve into the often-conflicted souls of this eclectic group, shattering the happy-go-lucky stereotypes they were originally brought on board to brandish. Through newfound friendships, and forming animosities, these young men explore the darkness, freedom, joy, and adventure of Nevada's annual Burning Man event, and come out questioning the roles they play and the masks they wear in their daily lives.