Frameline50: Mickey & Richard

Meet Mickey Squires, legendary porn star and notorious alter ego to Richard Bernstein. Diving into the colorful history of gay adult cinema, this intimate documentary portrait from directing duo Ryan A. White and A.P. Pickle (Raw! Uncut! Video!, Frameline45; Big Sur Gay Porn, Frameline47) traces Richard’s evolution from a lanky high school drama nerd to fantasy dream daddy Mickey, charting the joys and tribulations along the way.

As Bernstein was catapulted into porn stardom, he had to navigate the spotlight as well as the dark shadow it cast. Grappling with the harsh dichotomy of his personas, Bernstein was confronted with isolation, the death of his partner, drug addiction, and HIV. Lovingly shot in gorgeous black and white 16mm with a wealth of beautiful archival footage and candid interviews, Mickey & Richard is a remarkably tender study of the blurring of boundaries between Richard, the person, and Mickey, the sex icon… and the unlikely marriage between the two halves.

Preceded by Short Film: Vibrations (14 mins)

Expected Guests: Ryan A. White, A.P. Pickle, Richard Bernstein