Gay Celluloid on Little Man

›› Little Man

a short film by Eldar Rapaport.

2012 | 24 mins | UK - Israel.

starring: Daniel Boys / Elliot, Darren Evans / Little Man, David Hemsted / Ryan, Thomas Charles Middler / Jeremy, Jamie Thompson / Tim, Geraint Nott / the Taxi Driver and Craig Jurassic as the New Neighbour.

Official Synopsis: "Facing thirty, Elliot realises he has jeopardised every relationship that has come his way. The weekend his brother shows up on his doorstep and a bizarre neighbour begins spying on him; Elliot is driven to the edge in this uneasy psychological tale of obsession."

Dave says:-

I have to confess to being a bit of a fan of West End star Daniel Boys, ever since I saw him vying to be Joseph on the Andrew Lloyd Webber based Reality-TV show Any Dream Will Do, not to mention, oh I'm just going to, his fine voice alongside John Barrowman on the powerful gay reworking of the Chess classic I Know Him So Well. So when I heard that he had been cast as the lead in the Eldar Rapaport short film Little Man, I was filled with anticipation, given Rapaport is a director always to watch and here cue his wonderfully executed works August, Steam and Postmortem. And true to form neither man disappoints, with Boys' delivering an emotionally complex performance throughout, along the way getting down to some tasteful man-on-man action, in a work that has Rapaport's seal of quality stamped all over it.

A surreal picture of a troubled mind, in Little Man.

Yet this is an odd, but in a good way, piece, that of the story of a man who forever lets love slip through his fingers, being unable or perhaps unwilling to hold onto the men who enter his life. Apart that is from his fraternal relationship with his brother, now turned uninvited lodger following a breakup with his wife. Chatting the night away, the recurring theme of this work is soon to emerge, namely the perception that gay men "have it easier" in finding sex; finding love. It's a theme that's set to explode in Elliot's heated exchanges with a taxi driver who assumes that all gay men "pull someone different, every night". Yet unbeknown to Elliot, he already has a secret admirer; a mysterious stranger ever making noises in the room above his, that is until Elliot knocks on his door with alarming consequences.

Produced in collaboration with the celebrated IRIS Prize International Film Festival and based on the short story Your Man by Etgar Keret, this is, in essence, the story of the inner demons that for one man, incessantly prevent him from forming a long lasting relationship. Brilliantly produced throughout and complete with an atmospheric Schubert driven score, in many ways this twist-in-the-tale styled work reminds me of the Oscar Wilde classic The Picture of Dorian Gray; not that there's a painting in the attic, rather ... well, that would be saying. What can be added is the obvious, given here we find Rapaport delighting in a narrative that from its sensual beginning, turns increasingly surreal, let alone violent, as the psychological thriller element of the story comes into play. But it's an offbeat tale that rapidly draws you in, making for yet another assured piece of filmmaking, from Rapaport. Frankly, need more be said?

Gay Visibility - overt.
Nudity - from the waist up.
Overall - file under ... 4 stars.

contains: fans of the manly chest of Daniel Boys, will not be disappointed.

›› available on DVD as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue - 'Boys On Film 11: We Are Animals' release: 10.March.2014 / UK ‹‹

UK Premiere: Saturday, 13th October, 2012 at Cineworld, Cardiff - Closing Night of the IRIS Prize International Film Festival.

archive reference #2015006

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