Imagine someone being so lonely that they hire a sex worker — not for intimacy, but simply to have someone to talk to.
That’s the premise behind Austin director Wil Kelly’s first feature film, Queen Takes Bishop, which premiers Sept. 12 at Hyperreal Film Club. While the setup may seem provocative, Kelly said the film ultimately explores interpersonal relationships and vulnerability.
“I think it’s about connection, despite extreme difficulty to connect, and people being so different, but still being able to love each other,” Kelly said. “Not in spite of, but because of those differences.”
Leading the film are Darren Benjamin and Natalie Joy, whose performances anchor the emotional weight of the story. Through the characters’ unlikely relationship, the film examines how two strangers can find understanding in unexpected circumstances, inviting audiences to question their assumptions about loneliness and empathy.
Courtesy of Queen Takes Bishop
The film centers around a retired professor who hires a sex worker for companionship.
“I feel like there’s a lot of universal, relatable things people can get from [the film],” said Benjamin, who plays a retired professor desperate for connection. “Things that may speak to a part they don’t get to express much in society.”
Benjamin, who lives in Austin, said he joined the cast after cold-submitting his audition for the role, one of two in the whole movie. He said Kelly made the long filming process comfortable by having thoughtful discussions.
“I feel like the best art is created when people feel safe and nurtured, and that started from Wil on down,” Benjamin said.
Kelly relocated to Austin from Nashville about five years ago, bringing together a small film crew of longtime collaborators from both Tennessee and Texas to make Queen Takes Bishop. He also worked alongside executive producer Richard Linklater, founder of the Austin Film Society. The team booked a motel and a few other locations in Austin in 2022 and started filming.
Kelly said he hopes viewers leave the theater reflecting on the film’s bigger concepts.
“Whenever you can genuinely enter a space of questioning in a healthy and philosophical way that’s really rewarding,” he said. “Instead of just getting people into that space, if you can actually feel wonder, I think that’s the goal.”
Though the film’s plot may be intricate, Kelly’s instructions for watching the film are simple. He just wants people “to have a good time and strap in for some dialogue.”