"Sequin in a Blue Room" is a captivating Australian independent film directed by Samuel Van Grinsven in his feature film debut. Released in 2020, this coming-of-age drama cleverly blends elements of fantasy and thriller while exploring themes of sexuality, desire, and obsession. The film introduces itself boldly with the opening title card: "A Homosexual Film By Samuel Van Grinsven," paying homage to pioneering queer filmmaker Gregg Araki, whose transgressive works clearly influenced this stylish debut. What began as Van Grinsven's graduate project at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School was produced with a modest budget of only $45,000 but went on to win the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Sydney Film Festival and achieve critical acclaim with a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film follows a 16-year-old high schooler known as Sequin (played by Conor Leach in his breakout role), named for the sequined shirt he wears during anonymous sexual encounters. Comfortable with his sexuality and living with his accepting father, Sequin uses dating apps to arrange no-strings hookups, always maintaining emotional distance by blocking his partners immediately afterward. His meticulously controlled world is disrupted by two encounters: one with B, a married middle-aged man who becomes fixated on him, and another with a mysterious stranger he meets at an elaborate sex party called "The Blue Room" who tells him to "find me out there" before disappearing.
What sets "Sequin in a Blue Room" apart visually is Van Grinsven's masterful use of color and composition. The director made the deliberate choice to almost entirely remove the color blue from the filmโavoiding it in costumes, set design, outdoor scenes, and color gradingโreserving it exclusively for "The Blue Room" sequence, where an anonymous group sex party takes place behind translucent blue sheeting. This artistic decision creates a powerful visual impact when viewers are suddenly immersed in the blue environment, enhancing the otherworldly, almost hypnotic atmosphere of the scene that has been described as "the missing link between 'Eyes Wide Shut' and 'Mulholland Drive'."
The narrative follows Sequin's increasingly dangerous mission to find the mysterious stranger from The Blue Room, leading him through a series of questionable decisions and encounters. His obsession parallels the unhealthy fixation that B develops for him, creating tension and danger as the married man begins stalking Sequin. Throughout this journey, the film explores digital culture's impact on contemporary sexuality, the line between connection and anonymity, and the sometimes reckless nature of teenage self-discovery. The story is made particularly compelling by Conor Leach's performance, described by critics as "quietly riveting," "magnificent," and "a silky, feline presence who owns every moment that he's on screen."ย
Critics have praised "Sequin in a Blue Room" for its confident direction, striking visual style, and willingness to tackle complex themes without judgment. Peter Debruge of Variety noted that it "blends elements of fantasy and thriller" while delivering "a riveting and constantly surprising debut." The film stands out from typical coming-of-age narratives by beginning with a protagonist already comfortable with his identity but still navigating the complexities of desire and emotional connection. As the Rotten Tomatoes consensus states, the film "proves the coming-of-age genre still has fresh stories to tell and establishes debuting director Samuel Van Grinsven as a strikingly talented filmmaker." This bold exploration of contemporary queer youth experience offers both visual splendor and emotional depth, marking Van Grinsven as an exciting new voice in independent cinema.
