Molly is the queer short film about asexual love you need to see

Rarely does queer cinema make space for asexual identity, but Darius Shu's short film Molly does exactly that, and does it beautifully.

Hiroki Berrecloth and Frank Kauer in a scene from Molly, a short film written and directed by Darius Shu.

Written by

Alastair James

Article type :

Critic Review

Published on

18 May 2026

Molly, the latest film from director-writer Darius Shu, is a tale as old as time. There's the quieter, more introverted Vinnie (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' Hiroki Berrecloth) and the more confident and outgoing Ryan (Hollyoaks' Frank Kauer), who meet by chance in the laundrette Vinnie works at "every day" (hopefully he gets some time off!). Through multiple encounters, chanced looks, a little dance and a splash of jealousy, something more intimate and romantic starts to emerge between the two characters.

And as they get closer, naturally their vulnerabilities come on display, especially for Vinnie, who appears to identify as asexual, as revealed in one pivotal scene, which is where the film separates itself from many others like it.

Asexuality is a topic still rarely discussed in the media and less so portrayed in film and TV. As far as queer cinema goes, we're used to seeing often highly sexualised portrayals of gay men, intimate and intense depictions of sapphic love, and the occasional look into relationships between and involving trans and non-binary identities. However, asexuality often goes amiss, something Shu seeks to correct here as well as continuing his mission to bolden east-Asian representation in film.

The dialogue is written with care and attention, allowing the drama to unfold, but not at such a rapid pace considering the film's 23-minute runtime. Along with endearing performances from Berrecloth and Kauer, Shu has crafted a charming and emotional narrative that I imagine will resonate with people who don't often feel seen on screen. And during the film's most pivotal scene, the writer-director skilfully and economically draws a distinction between the often conflated concepts of being asexual and aromantic, as it is clear only one applies to Vinnie. Rather than focusing on a familiar idea of love and intimacy, Molly encourages its audience to take a broader look at how we connect and whether that necessarily needs to be physical.

In the film's final moments, questions are posed as to whether someone can learn how to love someone. Not if they can love them, but how. The film cuts off before showing us whether Ryan and Vinnie can make it, but it demonstrates that when it comes to love we must be open and vulnerable, and if we do that we may be surprised with what we find.

As with His Hands and his BAFTA-nominated documentary Always, Asifa, Shu, also Molly's director of photography and editor, demonstrates a strong talent for storytelling, finding a potentially complex story and condensing it in a way that doesn't feel like we're missing anything, but also leaving us wanting more.

Molly is a heartfelt look at love through a new lens that succeeds in charming with sweet performances and a simple but emotional message. The film also stars Aldous Ciokajlo-Squire, Kadell Herida, Xander Pang, Tatum Swithenbank, and Kaja Chan.