KING COBRA

Writer-director Justin Kelly follows up last year’s festival favorite, I Am Michael, with a ripped-from-the-headlines drama covering the early career of Sean Paul Lockhart (Garrett Clayton), who rose to niche stardom as the gay porn headliner Brent Corrigan, yet did not see the returns he expected from his meteoric success.

Offended by his paltry paycheck, Lockhart falls out with the owner, director, and producer (Christian Slater) of the label that made his famous Cobra video. When the newly minted sex symbol attracts the attentions of a cash-strapped pair of rival producers and performers (James Franco and Keegan Allen) an all out porn turf war ensues. Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald offer memorable turns as the mother and sister stunned by the revelations of the sordid, secret lives of their loved ones as the film delves into the most extreme lengths people will go to stay in the game.

—Dan Hunt