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Coming Out Short "Alone With People" Blends Humor And Pain

"I like being gay—I just don't wanna be gay NOW. I wanna be gay in, like, college—not high school."

"This is me at 15—and I'm very gay."

These are the opening lines of the short film Alone with People, an unconventional yet realistic coming-out tale starring Quinn Marcus of MTV's Girl Code.

In the 30-minute vignette, we meet Andie (Marcus), a teenager with loving parents, a popular older sister, and one big problem: she's a lesbian.

Andie feels trapped in the closet—living in the South and in love with one of her sister's friends. Clandestine L Word marathons are her only release, save for visits with her therapist, Dr. Sharon (Stacy Melich).

"I like being gay," Andie tells Dr. Sharon in one of their first sessions. "I just don't wanna be gay now. I wanna be gay in, like, college. Not high school."

Ouch.

With awkward family encounters, Andie's tendency to overthink things, and no real "villain," Alone with People is a rare depiction of coming out: Neither happy or sad, it lives in the in-between space familiar to many of us.

One of the film's most beautiful elements is that Andie is legitimately depressed about baggage she's carrying around. (Too few teenagers in film are allowed that experience). And though Alone with People has a light touch, Andie's sessions with Dr. Sharon are will break your heart.

They're also the emotional focal point of the short.

Marcus, who also wrote the short, drew on life experiences—and her one-woman show, Chasing Ballerinas.

She's an engaging, lively and emotionally honest presence who pulls off comedy and tears with equal aplomb. She seems to relish the chance to share her story, warts and all.

Alone with People hit the film festival circuit last year, and is now on Vimeo. Watch it below.

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