'Next Level Sh*t' Is a Cinematic Valentine for Anal-Retentive Gays

A new short is dropping a powerful message about queer love: Shit happens.

In Next Level Shit, Taylor (Ben Baur, Something Like Summer) portrays a gay perfectionist preparing for his third date with Chris (Daniel K. Isaac, Billions). Like many queer men, Taylor is concerned with anal cleanliness -- but his starvation leads to a backfiring of his intentions.

The gross-out romantic comedy has a surprisingly sweet message about self-love, as was intended by director and writer Gary Jaffe.

"In all my work, I'm looking to foster a more nuanced self-acceptance in the queer community and beyond," Jaffe said. "In Next Level Shit, a 'perfect' gay (played to literal perfection by Ben Baur) comes face to face with the demons hidden in his own neurotic pursuit of gay perfection.

"There's a quiet, tender look Chris (played with warmth and hunkiness by Daniel K. Isaac) gives Taylor in the final moments of the movie which contains so much of the affirmation he needs to accept himself for everything his body is. I hope that, by making that self-acceptance real in fiction, I can help make it real for all of us."

The film first premiered at Outfest Los Angeles and was a hit on the LGBTQ+ festival circuit. Thankfully, it is now available for all to digest on YouTube.