Interior. Leather Bar

If you're expecting to see steamy James Franco get his gay on in "Interior. Leather Bar." - think again. Instead, plan on 60 minutes of pontification from Franco and co-director Travis Mathews on America's skewed perception of sexuality in film.

Not to worry if you're looking for a sex scene legitimized under the guise of an art film. That comes later after you've sat through Val Lauren's nervous glances as the partially improvised script attempts to explore what might have occurred during 40 minutes of cut footage from the 1980 gay cult film "Cruising."

"Interior. Leather Bar." is neither a pure documentary nor a fictional recreation. Mathews, who has a Master's degree in counseling psychology in addition to numerous film credits dealing with gay intimacy issues, manages to capture various perspectives from the creative team, which are far more interesting than the pulsating club scenes that tease but don't tantalize.

Mathews (an Ohio native) was on hand for a post-screening Q&A at the festival - a packed house of LGBT Clevelanders and their friends that ranged from fresh-faced college students to chaps-wearing seniors. He said that one of the film's goals was to revisit the cut footage in a way that didn't demonize homosexuality. He also acknowledged the pre-AIDS paradox of rampant sexuality in the late 70s New York gay club scene.

Lauren (who played Sal Mineo in Franco's 2011 film, "Sal") spends a lot of time smoking American Spirits in the alley behind the set, staring in the distance and pouring over a screenplay that never seems to materialize. Scripted phone conversations with his wife and agent are interspersed that give a glimpse as to how the controversial project might impact his personal and professional life.

"Interior. Leather Bar." does manage to strike some interesting chords as Lauren and the cast of unknown actors writhe and cruise their way through the 2-day shoot while Franco keeps an arm's length from appearing in most of the documentary part of the footage. By the end, it feels more like an explorative project than a fully realized film and one is left to wonder if that cryptically missing original footage was worth recreating in the first place.

As a springboard to explore society's hang-ups about sexuality, "Interior. Leather Bar." cracks open the door - now it's a matter of which filmmakers Franco and team have inspired to walk through it.