The short stars real-life married actors Adam
Kern (Inheritance, One Dollar, I See You) and Jeff
Willey as fictionalized versions of themselves—two mid-40s bears attempting
to carve out one intentional day of reconnection in Los Angeles, only to have
it repeatedly derailed by traffic, screenings, strangers, and the general chaos
of queer social life. Written and produced by Kern, Only Bears
explores midlife queer partnership, identity, and intimacy with humor and
heart. A graduate of the Cornish School of the Arts, Willey previously
appeared in director Aaron Jin’s short Gay Jesus.
Logline: Over
the course of one wildly unpredictable day, two married bears attempt to
rekindle their intimacy—but between traffic, screenings, queer social chaos,
and a stranger handing them a gently used pizza, life keeps acting like the
pushy “third” in their relationship.
The project will be directed, shot, and
edited by David Haverty of Odd Dog Pictures. The screenplay
blends grounded realism with heightened fantasy elements—mirroring the way
memory, anxiety, and desire interrupt everyday life—which Haverty translates
visually through a fluid shift between naturalistic scenes and playful fantasy
sequences.
The ensemble cast includes Santana
Dempsey (Law & Order: SVU, Kenan, Scandal, It’s
Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Ian Verdun (Siren, The
Creator, Outlands, The Rookie), Teri Gamble (Mrs.
Davis, Modern Family, Superstore), and Cassandra Capocci
(The Goldbergs, Freakier Friday). The original score is composed
by singer-songwriter Tom Goss (Bear Soup, Nerdy Bear, Gay
Stuff), who also appears in a cameo.
Kern’s producing
work spans short film, theatre, and immersive storytelling, including the
Harvard/American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre–affiliated Pilot
Season Survival Guide, projects with Cleveland Play House and The 5th
Avenue Theatre, and his role as a partner and former co-owner of Shadow of the
Run, an immersive theatre company based in Cleveland. He is currently
developing a slate of film projects alongside a large-scale immersive
theatrical adaptation, An Awfully Big Adventure: A Wake in Neverland.
Only Bears was developed with guidance from casting director Risa Bramon
Garcia, who encouraged Kern to write directly from lived experience. The
resulting script balances sharp comedy with emotional specificity, centering
queer bodies, bodies of size, and long-term relationships that are rarely
afforded narrative complexity or joy onscreen. The team plans to use the short
as a creative and tonal blueprint for a scripted episodic expansion currently
in development.
