David Brind

David Brind is not Diablo Cody. In fact, while the openly gay screenwriter’s aggressive teen-speak in Dare (opening November 13 at the Village East Cinemas) often brings to mind Ms. Cody’s punchy verbal sparring in Juno, he hasn’t even seen the flick. “[Juno] was written in sound bites. It’s really important for me to not create characters who speak in sound bites,” says the 32-year-old Hell’s Kitchen resident. Still, the comparisons to Cody’s meteoric rise remain for Brind and Dare—his sexually charged tale of three different kinds of high school misfits. Dare earned Brind and director Adam Salky a nomination for Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film festival and since then the film— expanded from their Award-winning gay short of the same name— has garned plenty of buzz thanks its rumored threesome between its sexy stars, Zach Gilford, Emmy Rossum and Ashley Springer.
 
“I’m excited for gay teens to see Dare because I don’t like the idea of a gay character in mainstream culture being desexualized,” Brind explains. “It’s a big goal to represent for the gay community in a way that’s fun and sexy and has something to say,” which is something he feels is missing from most so-called gay cinema. “I think for gay identity to be accepted it has to be [shown] alongside any other process. It will always be different but the emotions behind it are not completely unique.” —Benjamin Solomon