Chemsex

In the murky London night, in saunas, clubs and private homes, a new epidemic ravages the gay community, Chemsex – a phenomenon in which sex and drugs are inseparable. In a confessional show-and-tell, this Vice-produced documentary invites gay men to bare their souls: tales of loneliness, loss, addiction, alienation and eventual ruin. But the drugs and the uninhibited, prolonged encounters they engender are deeply addictive. There may be no safety manual in an age of Grindr, social media and HIV but these stories cut to the heart: London may be a ‘gay friendly’ city, but isolation, technology and drugs have created the perfect storm – a burning desire for intimacy and, apparently, gratification. It’s as if, in the words of one of an exchemsex – you’ve arrived on a new planet, but you don’t arrive alone.

Courtesy of Anova / Health4Men and representatives will attend screenings in Johannesburg and Cape Town to discuss issues raised by the film.