Ladymol's Review

I watched this British film after watching Latter Days and Big Eden (not on the same night!). In fact, it’s the first British film I’ve watched for ages. Maybe the contrast was too great.

David and Theo are best friends—have been since school where David looked after and protected the smaller Theo. David now works as a plasterer for his father; Theo works part-time with him and goes to college to study something vague to do with computers.

Theo meets Hanna. Theo falls in love and moves in with her.

Although we’ve guessed that David’s feelings for Theo are more than just friendship, this doesn’t actually emerge until he starts loosing him to Hanna.

If you watch this film for no other reason, then watch it for the performance of Steve John Shepherd. He’s not just a pretty face—although he certainly is this. I’ve never seen such nuance of performance before. You could freeze-frame this film and watch his expressions for hours. Each flicker of an eyelid, each quirk of his lips is amazing as he portrays this tortured young man. David’s world is one of building sites and football—and you really do have to be British to get just how accurate the building site “ethos” (can building sites have an ethos?) is captured here. It’s rough, it’s rude, it’s bullying heterosexual.

He’s caught in a trap he can’t see a way out of: losing Theo, unable to come out, wanting to be happy.

In the most affecting scene in the film, Theo, afraid he’s lost Hanna, cries on David’s shoulder, asking, “How do you tell someone that you really love them?” I swear you can hear David screaming in his mind, “I love you; I love you.”

This scene is pivotal to the film because David makes a decision that then affects everyone and propels the film towards its conclusion.

It’s very hard to be frank as to whether I could actually say I enjoyed this film without ruining the ending for you.

I do recommend you try and see it. It’s important to support gay cinema. If I wanted to watch a film more than once it would be Latter Days (I’ve already watched that 3 times) or Big Eden.  Steve John Shepherd’s acting is worth getting this film for alone.

Cerisaye's Review

David and Theo have been best friends forever.  Working class London lads, they do everything together.  Then Theo meets  Hannah and everything changes. 

David works as a plasterer for his dad’s building company.  He spends days with fellow labourers, a jolly bunch who make fun of the obviously gay architect David’s dad brings onsite.  Ironically, one of them, a stocky blond with tan, muscle shirt, nipple rings and boots wouldn’t look out of place in a gay bar.  They’re the comic relief.

Steve John Shepherd gives an amazing performance as moody, charismatic David.  When he’s onscreen you just can’t take your eyes off him.  He conveys David’s pain through looks and body language, increasingly uncomfortable in his skin.  John Simm is convincing as the weedy Theo.  The weak link is the absence of any chemistry between Theo &Hannah, which makes David & Theo’s relationship a more believable prospect.

It comes as no surprise when David visits Soho where he picks up men for sex.  As soon as he’s had release, David is off, jumpy and ashamed, unable to face what he’s done, what he is.

Unrequited love and self-loathing, the pressures of living a lie, are doing David’s head in.  He gets increasingly morose.  His mother senses something wrong, but he can’t talk to her, or his traditionalist, narrow-minded dad.  The high point is a plastering competition between the friends, David working and spreading wet plaster as he longs to do to his mate.

Hannah is such a pain I couldn’t feel sympathetic.  A previous lover was a two-timing bastard, so now she thinks all men are the same.  She sees David as a threat.  Well, she’s right there, but it’s not what she thinks.

Running throughout is David’s obsession with a confessional TV show, where people confront relationship problems in front of the cameras.  Then go home prepared to ‘forgive and forget’.

David gets desperate and resorts to underhanded methods.  He loves Theo.  So much he can’t contemplate life without him, doesn’t care if Hannah is hurt.  For Theo and Hannah love’s young dream goes sour.

David believes Theo will see who he really wants.  But Theo is straight, and has no idea about his friend’s secret love.

As a film about coming out, this is effective and sympathetic.  We see David struggle, painful to watch.  He doesn’t want to be gay but can’t change what he is.  Knows what the consequences will be if he reveals his secret.  People hurt to discover he’s not who they thought he was.  David is so deeply closeted and non-stereotypically gay, no one could’ve suspected. 

When David belatedly realises what his actions have done, spoiling Theo’s relationship with the woman he loves, he decides to make amends by appearing on that TV show he loves.  The one where a magic wand is waved and suddenly everyone is happy again. No matter the problem.

I assumed he’d go on the show, confess what he’d done and apologise to Theo & Hannah.  But that’s not how it plays out.  The ending of the film totally spoiled it for me.  Worse, it’s objectionably homophobic.  The film is a sham.  It’s made for a straight audience and panders to hetero prejudices. 

David comes out on air.  We’ve seen his anguish, the build-up of pressure that has to be released, the way he takes solace from ‘Forgive and Forget’ that no problem is so bad it can’t be solved.  That David should feel he has to ‘confess’ to being gay is sad, but it reflects his state of mind. David’s parents react predictably and believably given their background and age.  I have no quibble with that. It’s real.  What stuck in my craw was the way he is then punished for  being gay, as though he deserves to suffer, that only straight people get a happy-ever-after.  That 14 years of friendship mean nothing.  I can’t go into details, as that spoils the ending, but I hated it.  It made me angry and upset.  It isn’t even credible.  Pity, as the rest of the film had so much going for it.