I got this DVD out of the New York Public Library, having never heard of it. What a great surprise! Unlike any other gay film I've seen, it's about the breakup of a relationship, and the tentative start of a new one. It provides, if I counted correctly, three different versions of what could happen after the lead, Ryan, decides that his partner of 3 years, Joel, does not understand him. The decision is triggered, and the need for decision crystalized, by Joel & Ryan meeting Leo, a young and naive kid looking for his first lover.
Ryan wants someone who can make him whole, who will know and understand him. He is full of romantic notions based on his readings of Plato and Wordsworth. He feels that something is wrong with his relationship with Joel, but he can't figure out what. In one of the versions of the story, he hooks up with Leo and the love of Leo seems to do the trick. However, in other versions, Leo is just a distraction. Ultimately, it seems, Ryan must feel complete on his own.
What's wonderful about the movie is the intimacy of the acting, realistic gay men (not macho, a little bit fem, but endearingly so). Ryan is portrayed by a handsome Asian man, but nothing is said about his Asian-ness in the course of the film. However, it seems an appropriate nationality for one who is seeking enlightenment, who feels out of place in society. His sex scenes are hot without being explicit.
Joel is a bit obtuse, and doesn't quite understand what his lover wants, but loves Ryan. He's cute but not too cute--an accessible, good-looking guy. You can see why Ryan has trouble leaving him.
The third characater, Leo, reminds me of the type that I can fall for so easily. Absolutely naive, full of ideas and theories and wonder, boyishly adorable, not a muscle on his body or a hair on his chest. He's got slight acne, making the effect even realer. He's great.
A couple of best friends of Ryan (one male straight, one female straight) round out the cast.
This is a wonderful film to start a dialog about your own relationship. It's a wonderful work of self-reflective cinema by an insightful writer and director.
Ryan wants someone who can make him whole, who will know and understand him. He is full of romantic notions based on his readings of Plato and Wordsworth. He feels that something is wrong with his relationship with Joel, but he can't figure out what. In one of the versions of the story, he hooks up with Leo and the love of Leo seems to do the trick. However, in other versions, Leo is just a distraction. Ultimately, it seems, Ryan must feel complete on his own.
What's wonderful about the movie is the intimacy of the acting, realistic gay men (not macho, a little bit fem, but endearingly so). Ryan is portrayed by a handsome Asian man, but nothing is said about his Asian-ness in the course of the film. However, it seems an appropriate nationality for one who is seeking enlightenment, who feels out of place in society. His sex scenes are hot without being explicit.
Joel is a bit obtuse, and doesn't quite understand what his lover wants, but loves Ryan. He's cute but not too cute--an accessible, good-looking guy. You can see why Ryan has trouble leaving him.
The third characater, Leo, reminds me of the type that I can fall for so easily. Absolutely naive, full of ideas and theories and wonder, boyishly adorable, not a muscle on his body or a hair on his chest. He's got slight acne, making the effect even realer. He's great.
A couple of best friends of Ryan (one male straight, one female straight) round out the cast.
This is a wonderful film to start a dialog about your own relationship. It's a wonderful work of self-reflective cinema by an insightful writer and director.