Ben Whitshaw is more than the voice of Paddington bear or Q from the Daniel Craig era of James Bond. He is an openly gay character actor of immense range, who tackles channeling and provocative material. Take one look at Surge from 2020 or Women Talking, that featured in The London Film Festival 2023 for proof. Heat is an example of his adherence to that work ethic, that addresses topics outside of conventional genres, as he portrays John. A recovering sex addict with an adoring husband at home, who is parked up overlooking an idyllic beach. Heat is a short film written and directed by Rory Fleck Byrne, that explores the compulsions of sexual addiction through a single character.
Through a combination of flashbacks and in-camera trickery, Heat conveys the guilt of caving in to temptation. Sitting in his car, listening in to other addicts confessing their inner most desires, John sees a man heading down to the beach. They lock eyes for an instant, while the camera pans across his torso and reflects those feelings of forbidden desire a clandestine encounter might evoke. Out of his car and walking towards the beachfront, John is going over the decision, imagining its outcome, and wrestling with his willpower. In a matter of minutes, Heat gives the audience every conceivable version of what might happen, as this temptation in shorts and a t-shirt stays in his eyeline.
Formative years play out on the beach in front of him, his husband makes an appearance among the sand dunes, and every conflicting emotion converges. Within this microcosm, writer-director Rory Fleck Byrne presents his calling card onto bigger things. Having a character actor like Ben Whitshaw onboard gives Heat immediate kudos, advertising to prospective producers that Heat might only be the tip of the iceberg. Packing a punch and addressing universal concerns around fidelity and companionship within the gay community, Heat never shies away from a topic that stays relevant irrespective of sexuality. Not only making important points about engrained behaviours, but doing so in such a way that it is still grounded.