HUMP! Jury confessions:
Room to breathe
September 20th, 2025
What does it take for a film to stand out among hundreds of annual submissions? The HUMP! Jury shares what it was about this 2025 Fall film that caught their attention.
Q: You’re back in the jury room and Room to Breathe has just started. First impression?
Juror #1: Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. YES YES YES YES!
Juror #2: I love seeing this kind of film submitted to HUMP! No elaborate budget needed, no special dressing, could easily have been filmed on an iPhone. I love it when we get to see a straight up, no frills, “our kink and nothing but our kink” kind of thing.
Juror #3: Damn is that a swim cap? They got creative with the extra credit item!
Q: Was there a particular moment that made you say, “This one is special?”
Juror #1: Every single part of it. It really encapsulates everything I love about kink: connection, edge play, and boundary pushing. I would say the most special thing about it is the trust and connection apparent between the two people in the scene.
Juror #2: It was an excellent use of extra credit right from the start, but as the film progressed so did the intensity, and I was literally on the edge of my seat by the end of it. If I could have given blue a gold medal for endurance, I would have. Unfortunately the IOC wasn’t picking up, so the only thing I could give was a well earned yes vote.
Juror #3: The first timestamp to show up made me realize this was going to be a series of successively longer periods, which made me feel equal parts anxious and curious!
Q: HUMP! is all about elevating the adult genre, pushing boundaries, and showcasing the full spectrum of human sexuality. What is it about Room to Breathe that aligns it with those values?
Juror #1: There is no sex, nothing wildly explicit about the film, but for those who love kink and breathe play, this film is made for them. There is so much intimacy, trust, compassion, and a sense of pride that runs between both people, and woven between all that beautiful intimacy is a chance to see someone really push themselves to their limits.
Juror #2: This film didn’t make me feel like I was watching a performance. It made me feel like I had stepped into a room where two very real people were engaged in very real play. They didn’t feel the need to explain anything to me. They didn’t care if I approved. They were only focused on each other, and all the walls were down because of it. For me, showing that kind of vulnerability within kink play screams HUMP!
Juror #3: This film really made me think about trust. Depriving the body of oxygen prompts a biological response that can take over cognitive functions. If you're the bottom and you're like "I want this," I imagine there's also a panic sensation that takes over after a long period of low oxygen, which would mean you have to really trust your partner/the top to not suffocate you.
Q: What do you find the most erotic about the film as a whole?
Juror #1: The connection, the endurance, and the trust/tension balance.
Juror #2: The trust! These two clearly trust each other COMPLETELY, and I find that erotic AF.
Juror #3: When the top is "resetting" the bottom as they squirm and holding their chin up so their head is facing them.
Let’s wrap it up short and sweet. Describe Room to Breathe to audiences everywhere in just five words or less.
Juror #1: Edge-play, boundary-pushing, and trust.
Juror #2: Can you hold your breath?
Juror #3: Remember to breathe while watching
Experience the artful, erotic elegance of Room to Breathe along with 21 more incredible new films when the 2025 Fall Lineup comes to a city near you, or stream it now online!