Ivan Kander
Coming off like a cinematic visualization of your weird uncle’s latest and best dirty joke, Honk If You’re Horny isn’t exactly the deepest short film in the world. But, damn it, it’s really entertaining. Maybe it’s the sex…maybe it’s the delightful Kiwi turns of phrase…maybe it’s the incredibly compelling performance from lead actor Andy Anderson, but there’s just something about this film that hooks you. I guess, when it comes down to it, maybe it’s as simple as the following: sex sells.
And, apparently sex sells everywhere. Horny had quite the festival run, delighting and titillating audiences from its native New Zealand to Italy all the way to Palm Springs. As you might expect, as with the all the best film ideas, Horny has its roots in the truth (well, sort of).
Corresponding via e-mail, writer/director Joe Lonie explains: “Back in the early 1990s, when I was trying hard to help my band Supergroove get a foothold in the Auckland live scene, I used to travel by taxi a lot. On the way to band practice one night the cabbie began bragging about a tryst he took part in recently when a couple paid for their ride with sex.”
Granted, Lonie’s recount of this fantasy tale has been embellished quite a bit from its source. Like all good “tall tales,” it’s gotten more outlandish and dirtier over time (much to our delight). It’s the kind of film that just keeps building on itself, starting slow and ramping up with each additional nugget of information—from cop chases to post-crash felatio. All of this culminates with a great final punchline that really puts a satisfying button on all that has *ahem* come before it. Again, this isn’t a deep film, but it will make you smirk (and maybe even blush if you’re wanton enough to watch while at work).
Lonie has since moved on from the rock and roll days of his youth, turning to film writing and directing instead (he got his start directing his band’s music videos). For nearly the past 10 years he was worked as a commercial director for Flying Fish. If you’re keen to check out some of his more notable spots, click here.
Lonie is currnetly working on a plethora of other projects. His latest short film, Shout the Ground, is currently in it’s final stages of post production. It’s yet another comedy loosely based on his time with his band. If it’s as much fun as Horny, we can’t wait!