a short film by John McCrite 2005 | 23 mins | US ›› Little Boy Blues the need for love, set against the desire for sex. As a timely reminder of the danger of unsafe sex, here writer and director John McCrite has gone out of his way to illustrate how in the heat of the moment, condoms are all too often cast to the wind. And it all revolves around thirty-something Michael; single again following the death of his long-term partner from AIDS and who following a drink at a local bar succumbs to the charms of a stranger, only to end up having unprotected sex with him, fuelled on drink, drugs and images of hardcore sex. Yet when they both hit their sexual high, just what are they left with in the morning, after the night before? For that is the crux of the story. One that sees Malcolm Gets of Adam & Steve fame give a compelling portrayal of a man desperately trying to escape the bitter loneliness and relationship void that goes hand-in-hand with bereavement. It is a performance that is matched by Adam Bloch who is every inch the rampant stud of the piece, out of sex, if not a crystal induced high if he can get it. That McCrite based his story on the loss of a close friend to AIDS, cannot help but make it an all the more personal work. And yet it gets weighed down in its storytelling, as one too many anecdotes distract from the serious point it is trying to make, namely the year-on-year increase in cases of newly diagnosed HIV infections. That said and like the Robin Baker short Seafood, this poignant piece achingly showcases the opposing desires of two gay men for romance or sex, only to add in to the emotional mix a sermon on unsafe sex. And for that McCrite is to be applauded.   starring: Malcolm Gets, Adam Bloch, Paul Denniston and Edward E Cohen. dedicated to the memory of Gregory Scott Cabrera. Copyright 2008 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #127 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹