Web Series Wednesday – Flatshare

By: Spring Marie Cullen

WHAT? Flatshare

BY: James Barber

WHY SHOULD I WATCH?

Flatshare is a brand new LGBT web series about four somewhat reluctant roommates in South London. Omar (Shaun Cowlishaw), Kemi (Ani Nelson), Tom (Andrew Rowe) and Seb (Nic Bernasconi) come together from different places in their lives and very different backgrounds to turn their tiny Peckham flat into a home. Or at least attempt to.

Writer and creator James Barber set out to create a series inspired by his own experiences where sexuality, gender, race and class were at the forefront of the story. Barber didn’t want to shy away from the struggles of underrepresented groups that are all too often used as punchlines or simply not mentioned at all in modern television. A true passion project, Barber spent years creating the world of Flatshare with the intentions of shining a light on taboo subjects, following the stories of original multifaceted characters and embracing their diversity.

Barber succeeded in his goal as Flatshare does an amazing job of bringing up societal issues naturally between characters and it gives them an opportunity to speak on them honestly. There’s a short conversation between Kemi and Seb in the second episode, “Sensual Touch,” where she questions the motives of his gentrification protest. Not only is her slight frustration warranted, but it’s genuine. It was that specific scene that first showed me how special this series is. It wasn’t preachy or too in your face, it was simply a scene rooted in truth. Nelson does an incredible job of portraying Kemi slowly losing her patience with Seb throughout the mini debate, opting to leave the conversation completely once he appears to imply he doesn’t benefit from white privilege. It was so authentic I can only assume both Barber and Nelson have been in that exact same situation more than once before.

The short four episode season touches base on a handful of other issues and really highlights the trials and tribulations of Omar as a queer person of color. Watching him experiment in the world of “chemsex” (which is something I’ve never seen done on a show before) and just deal with the fact that his race tends to be fetishcized was such an interesting thing to see. Watching things like protection and sexual exploration discussed hand in hand was also new.

Flatshare in general is just a fresh series that deserves some attention and recognition. There’s truly nothing like it out there. It has high production value, solid acting performances and has a creator who really cared about telling this story. Anyone hungry for unapologetic LGBT representation will love this show.

WHERE CAN I WATCH? Episodes can be found on the series’ website: https://www.flatshareseries.com/

Follow on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flatsharewebseries/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flatshare.webseries/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlatShareSeries