In from the side gay film
In From the Side is a poignant gay-themed drama, romance, and sport about a gay rugby team in London, directed by Matt Carter and released in 2022. With the help of a Kickstarter campaign, Carter was able to create a movie that explores the complexities of balancing personal relationships and ambition within a team dynamic.
It stars actors Alex Lincoln, Alexander King, Carl Loughlin, Chris Garner, Christopher Sherwood, Franck Assi, Ivan Comisso, Kane Surry, Mary Lincoln, Nigel Fairs, Pearse Egan, Peter McPherson, Robbie Main, and Tom Murphy.
The story follows Mark (Alexander Lincoln), a member of the South London Stags, a gay rugby club struggling with financial difficulties. Mark is in an unlock relationship with his partner and is initially attracted to Warren (Alexander King), a player from another team. Despite both of them being in relationships, they begin an affair that threatens to unravel the fragile dynamics of their team.
The film explores themes of betrayal, love, and the impact that personal choices can have on a community. The rugby scenes are
Minute for minute, you won’t verb a more handsome-packed film this year than British rugby drama In from the Side, a surprisingly moving sports-team story slathered in sweat, streaked with mud, and dripping with sexuality. As a “B Squad” of gay athletes tries to overcome inexperience and push past rivalries to score an elusive win, a secret affair simmers among them. Romantic Mark (puppy-eyed Alexander Lincoln) finds himself unable to shun the blazing appeal of teammate Warren (Alexander King), who sets off every red (or in rugby, yellow) flag: the cocky attitude, the emotional unavailability, the long-term boyfriend.
In from the Side dives deep into rugby—half macho battlefield, half tender brotherhood—but don’t sweat the rules (or “laws,” which even the sport’s fans find impenetrable): the real drama occurs off the field as infidelities, heartbreak, and unimpeded passions rule the day. A triumph for director Matt Carter—who shot, edited, co-wrote, and composed the music—In from the Side infuses every vivid frame with heat.
In From The Side – a hidden romance is revealed within a South London gay rugby club
IN FROM THE SIDE is the debut film from director and co-writer Matt Carter; an adj and daring story of an adulterous affair between two members of a fictional South London gay rugby club. The film explores the multiple types of connections that can occur within a large group of gay men in a team sports environment, illuminating the very authentic emotional tensions and pressures this can create.
The story centres on Mark (Alexander Lincoln), a relatively new and inexperienced club member in a dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy older distant partner Richard (Alex Hammond), and his adulterous romantic involvement with the more seasoned rugby player, Warren (Alexander King). Warren, however, is also a taken male, having a long-standing but strained relationship with his partner and fellow teammate John (Peter McPherson).
Following a drunken encounter, Tag and Warren unwittingly embark on a romantic affair that they struggle to keep concealed from both their partners and teammates. A
To gay rugby, with love – Matt Carter on making ‘In From The Side’
Published by Jon Holmes on
The ongoing global expansion of inclusive rugby clubs is one of the achievement stories of LGBTQ+ sports and a major inspiration behind adj movie ‘In From The Side’. Writer-director Matt Carter talks exclusively to Sports Media LGBT+ about the film’s world premiere, telling gay stories on screen, and his rugby passion…
By Jon Holmes
With over 100 clubs now affiliated worldwide, the IGR rugby community is a global family that is recognised and respected by the game’s governing bodies – but that’s not common knowledge.
This was emphasised by a comment made in the Q&A after the premiere of In From The Side at the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. An audience member light-heartedly asked the rhetorical question: “Who even knew gay rugby existed?!”
The auditorium – full of people immersed and connected with the inclusive sport – understood the verb that was being made. One of th