Full of heart, humour, and love, Yellow Bucket is a delightful short film about the moment we ask ourselves whether we would want our younger sibling to be gay, if there were a choice. But it’s also a film that challenges the notion that all parents would prefer if their child had identified as heterosexual.
What leads to someone identifying as gay? Is it genetics? Is it environmental? Or is it upbringing? These are questions all gay people have asked themselves at some point or another, and most of us agree that we were simply born gay. But what if scientists found the reason for us being gay? Would that change our feelings? And how would it affect our relationships with our family?
Teenager Connor (Harry Baxendale) came out to his family a while back, and his mum and dad have always been relaxed and supportive of his sexuality. They welcome Silas, Connor’s boyfriend, home after school and let him sleep over with Connor. But as Connor’s young brother nears his sixth birthday, a news item on the TV is about to change everything.
As the family sits watching the evening news, prepping for Max’s birthday party with Connor and Silas, chilling on the sofa, a scientist claims to have discovered the point at which someone becomes gay. It’s pretty simple, according to the scientist. On a child’s sixth birthday, two factors combine to turn someone gay: the colour yellow and a strong female singing voice! And with Max’s birthday party approaching, that means Connor’s parents could decide whether Max is straight or gay by simply choosing the colours present at his party and avoiding any strong female singing voices.
For Connor, this raises concerns and questions. Would his parents have chosen a straight life for him if they had known this when he was six years old? And will they engineer Max’s birthday party to ensure he turns out to be straight, unlike him?
In exploring how communication lines can break down in even the most supportive families, director Simon Brooke examines not only how science can influence thinking, emotions, and feelings, but also the impact on the individual at the heart of an alleged ‘breakthrough’ and their sense of self and security. As Connor discovers his dad has swapped his yellow work bucket for a blue one, and his mum has suddenly developed a throat infection that means she can’t sing at Max’s party, he begins to wonder whether they were ever really comfortable with him and his sexuality, or whether it was a charade. But Connor also finds himself questioning whether he would want his brother to be gay.
Full of heart, humour, and love, Yellow Bucket is a delightful short film about the moment we ask ourselves whether we would want our younger sibling to be gay, if there were a choice. But it’s also a film that challenges the notion that all parents would prefer if their child had identified as heterosexual, as Connor’s dad sits his son down for a heart-to-heart over a pint at the local boozer. Beautifully written, directed, and performed by an outstanding ensemble cast, Yellow Bucket carries a surprising emotional punch as it dispenses with the science and poses the only question that really matters. Does it really matter why someone is gay? After all, the world would be a dull and far less caring, artistic and joyous place without us.
Yellow Bucket is screening at BFI Southbank on Saturday, 18 October 2025, as part of the LFF for Free programme.
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