Two mates discuss the complexities of life and love while they get monthly manicures. It’s an absolutely absurd premise for a six-part web series. Perhaps that’s why Sexy Nails works so brilliantly? Perhaps though it’s the wonderful scripts (written by Tom Slater)? The clever directing decisions (also Tom Slater)? Because eavesdropping is awesome? Because masculinity and male friendship are fascinating, especially now when they’re being squeezed and poked and twisted into new things? Perhaps it’s because the conversations are very real, very relatable and a whole lotta fun?
Maybe it’s all of the above. The series was produced by Playtime, which is part of Photoplay films. It’s exactly what Playtime was created for – experimental, curious, fun and ambitious.
The two mates are Sam (married to Tilly) and Luca (single and dating a lot). They talk frankly – sometimes uncomfortable so, sometimes hilariously so, sometimes both “so”s together – about things that matter and things that don’t, good sex, ideal wedding playlists, racist dads, the failings of Ed Sheeran, peeing in the shower, the difference between lilac and lavender and the perils of gluten-free pasta among them.
Where did the idea come from? Slater tells that best:
“Like Sam, I’m recently married, and I love it, but not in the ways that you usually see on TV. Being married can be confusing and thrilling. I think men especially struggle to adapt to married life, and how you need to put this other person and their needs ahead of your own. All the private things you never thought anyone had to know about are laid bare in front of the person you most want to impress. For me, the best bits are the deeply private, surprising moments, especially when they’re shared with your friend later.
“On the other side of the coin, being single in 2020 is a total shitshow. It’s an environment built on putting up a front, and dating lots of people at once, and somehow being casually charming but never too invested. I find it emotionally perilous and from-a-distance thrilling, and it’s fun to unpack that in a space free from machismo, where we can see the way these two men support each other, and tease and flirt and celebrate along the way.
“Also like Sam, I love having colours on my nails,” Slater continues. “I use my hands more now; I’m more openly expressive. I pick nail polish based on the season or what I’m likely to be wearing most that month. It’s a gateway drug to feeling ok about being masculine and feminine at the same time.
“I wrote Sexy Nails because my friend and I got our nails done and sat there for 30 minutes trying to make each other laugh. And we were performing for the strangers doing our nails as much as we were for each other. It’s a fascinating way to explore male friendships in a context we haven’t seen before – two straight guys getting manicures is an excuse to get vulnerable. It gives us licence to open up and dig into the knotty emotional stuff that men sometimes don’t feel comfortable talking about. It’s also incredibly silly – because, let’s face it, men are silly as hell. Sexy Nails is a forum to portray, represent, examine and challenge modern man-ness through these two best mates, who are clueless most of the time, but mostly trying their best.”
According to Slater, the audience is “for people who are trying to navigate the modern world while trying to find out who they are: people who have dated; who have seen their friends have kids while they still have flatmates; who date online more than in real life; who already had a career change by the time they were 30.” (Hint: everyone who’s curious about life.)
If you’ve skipped over the videos so far. Go back. Watch. This is entertainment.
Credits:
Writer & Director: Tom Slater
Production Company: Playtime
Producers: Tom Slater & Emily O’Connell
DOP: Grégoire Lière
Art Director: Anna Gardiner
Editor: Damien Magee
Music: Kobi Spice
Post Production: ARC Edit & Sonar Music
Sound Designer: Timothy Bridge
