Five Encounters on a Site Called Craigslist

Sam lost his virginity to a man on Craigslist, a site that lets you advertise anything you want in a confidential setting. SLEEPY BOY WANTS TO SUCK COCK, the all-caps headline to the plucking of his cherry. He has five such encounters and describes them to us as if they are items of furniture he’s sold – descriptive and yet transactional.

It isn’t until he requests audience participation that humanity is injected into this business deal. Each story comes with a touching, natural conversation between different people. The internal dilemma is apparent – craving contact and simultaneously fearing intimacy. Sex is a physical interaction performed when horny. Feelings don’t come into this.

But Sam is honest, down to earth and charming. Therein lies the rub. In bearing his soul, he creates a safe space for his audience to reveal secrets too – things we always wanted to say and never got chance; a therapeutic catharsis and the accompanying wash of oxytocin that makes us feel closer to each other.

By using a variety of devices, Sam’s narration rarely strays into mundane. Some parts are unusual, rather like an alternative, independent indie film. Others are slushy and cheesy, a nauseating romantic comedy moment.

In the end, Sam fuses all the encounters and reveals the whole of himself, both physically and emotionally. Craigslist may seem a cold way of connecting, but it allows Sam to open up and encourage us to share as well.