Gay Celluloid on Mirrors



›› as part of the BOYS ON FILM #13 shorts compilation - Trick & Treat ‹‹

›› Mirrors ‹‹

a short film by Neil Ely.

2015 | 12 mins | UK.

a strikingly realistic take on to thy ownself, being true.

starring: Jody Latham and Liam Boyle.

Official Synopsis:

In a toilet of a Manchester nightclub, two young men catch each other's eye. As they reveal their feelings to one another, they find that their lives mirror each other in more ways, than one. The only thing left to do is face the person staring back at them.

Dave says:

This is one of the few reviews of late whose "gay visibility" I've noted as covert. Covert in the sense that neither of the two young men here is "officially gay", both all too eager to proclaim that they've "got a bird". Yet that's the beauty of this work, given the audience is in no doubt that both are anything but straight. Only with neither prepared to admit they're gay until the other goes first, a game of sexual charades ensures, as both skirt around the issue, pretending to be hetero to the world, whilst ever keen to ask each other "are you gay?", longing for the other to say it like it is so they can finally free themselves from being - trapped in the closet.

Infused with a gripping sense of the claustrophobic reality of cubicle life, this is a beautifully played piece, thanks to the impromptu styled delivery from Jody Latham and Liam Boyle, respectively of SHAMELESS and SKINS fame. And whilst writer, producer and director Neil Ely entertainingly intercuts his story with the toilet activities of others, this is in essence a two-man play, one that sees drugs lower inhibitions, with both men gradually finding the confidence to be honest about their sexuality and the mirrored situation that they find themselves in. Indeed, it's almost like we're eavesdropping on their private conversation, as the two begin to bond with each other, words that surely can only give way to physical contact; man-on-man style?

Well shot and edited throughout, frankly there's a lot to like here, given this strikingly realistic take on to thy ownself, being true, could easily be expanded into a feature. It's one that I would love to see and you can't put it better, than that. Need more be said?

Gay Visibility - covert.
Nudity - none.
Overall - file under ... 4 stars.

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archive reference #2016019

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