Other People’s Bodies (2025) is a queer reimagining of La Piscine, a 1969 psychosexual French drama. It centers on Olivia (Annie Parisse), a former ballerina; her husband, singer and programmer Seb (A.J. Shively); their old friend, Mateo (McKinley Belcher III); and Mateo’s new partner, dancer Zaki (Jasai Chase Owens). A hot summer weekend reunites the group at an upstate New York estate and brings back regrets, grudges, and old (and possibly new) desires.
While there is a lot of implied fluidity throughout the film, this entry will mainly focus on the character of Seb. We first note palpable tension in the initial scene between him, Mateo, and Olivia. The main crux of the conflict between all three characters is betrayal and movement in relationships. Seb originally dated Mateo but left him to marry Olivia. Seb and Mateo began dating when Mateo, sidelined after a knee injury, was hired to choreograph a queer opera Seb was in. When Olivia came back from a dance tour, and Mateo took her to see Seb sing at an event, Seb left Mateo for Olivia. The pair eventually married. As a result, Mateo has not spoken to either of them for eight years, until this fated weekend.
While Seb does not use the terms bi or queer to describe himself, it is clear he is attracted to more than one gender. As far as the development of his bisexuality, there is clear flirtation with his wife as she puts sunblock on his back and he beckons her to move her hands further down. Seb also jokes that when Mateo says he doesn’t bite, he used to.
There is an interesting pair of scenes where Seb interacts with Mateo’s new boyfriend, Zaki. We see from the first scene that Seb’s attraction to Mateo was not a one-off attraction to men. After a swim, Zaki lightly tries to seduce Seb, who makes a pass at him and gives him a bracelet. But, thinking better of it, Seb wordlessly gives the bracelet back. However, in the second scene, the men are out on a run, and Seb feels awful, thinking he is having a heart attack. Zaki puts his hand on Seb’s chest and says his heart isn’t racing that hard, then puts Seb’s hand on his own heart. This time Seb does not pull away. When the men are next seen returning to the house, they still look out of breath, with each saying they will follow each other into the house to get some water. So, did they hook up in the forest? Do they hook up in the house? It seems certain that Seb’s resolve weakened, since he didn’t bat Zaki’s hand away. It conveys a grey area, showing an implication of cheating again — if that´s the case, Seb did not learn his lesson from his time with Mateo and Olivia.
So, it’s clear that Seb is bi through the storytelling and still has active bi desires. But while it is clear he is still tempted to stray, the story deliberately keeps it vague whether he acts on those temptations. However, whatever happened (or didn’t happen), all seems to resolve well with Mateo and Seb burying the hatchet after coming to blows in the pool, and concluding with everyone joyfully dancing together at the end. Sort of an “all’s well that ends well.”
Though it is not an ideal showing of bi stereotypes here (implied cheating), Seb has other qualities to recommend him. He is a talented singer and a gifted programmer. He is also a loving partner to Olivia, both in their foreplay as well as in taking care of her as she faces a likely diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
In a queer-centered film about fluidity, desire, and regret, Other People’s Bodies has sparse dialogue but still speaks volumes about modern queer relationships, bi men and the expectations placed on them, and the nature of queer desire. Though Seb does not use the terms “bi” or “queer” to describe himself, it is clear where his attractions lie, and that he is comfortable with his sexuality (if not always his past actions). Other People’s Bodies is a surprisingly meditative, quiet, observant film about a bi man’s past and how he comes to terms with his present. As such, it deserves recognition among modern queer films.