Gay Celluloid on Lazy Eye

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a film by Tim Kirkman.

2016 | 87 mins | US.

a finely crafted relationship drama.

Dave says:

Essentially a two-man play, this is one of those films that you will either love or hate, and personally speaking - I loved it.

Set for the main part in the Mojave desert near Joshua Tree, a location that cinematographer Gabe Mayhan uses to full scenic advantage, this in essence is the time-ole fashioned story of ex lover Dean (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe), now a graphic designer in Los Angeles reconnecting with his ex-boyfriend Alex (Aaron Costa Ganis) years later, in this case fifteen, to see if a spark of romance still simmers below the surface. It's a setup that writer and director Tim Kirkman of Loggerheads fame delights in, playing the "will they or won't they get back together again" card right up to the dramatic close-of-play; well almost, along the way dropping revelations from both parties as to the reasons for the failure of their initial relationship and the obstacles that must be overcome should their love start anew.

And that's it folks. Or is it? For whilst the scenario is far from new, what makes this film work however is the vibrant chemistry between Near-Verbrugghe and Ganis, for here you truly feel that they are ex-lovers catching up on old times ... and more besides. Only times have changed, with Dean's once happy-go-lucky character now an angst-ridden man wrapped up in his work, his lazy eye blind to the fact that his artistic aspirations have all but died in the relentless pressure of his working life. It's a situation that's set to change, with Alex arriving like a hunk in the night, ready to get down to some sensuous man-sex, only to realize that the man he has his arms wrapped around, is not the same man he knew all those years ago.

Beautifully lit throughout and complete with flashback sequences of the time the boys first met, this is a film with a lot of dialogue, both contemplative and poignant, as the two men discuss getting older, the emotional rollercoaster that is love and how their relationship of years gone by remains the one that they still compare all others to. The result is a finely crafted relationship drama that takes storytelling as its cinematic foundation stone and wonderfully builds upon it with solid acting, camera work and direction. Yet this is also a film that cannot help but make you wonder about those missed opportunities in life and if a former relationship can ever been renewed with the passion and lust for life of the days when you were young and carefree? Simply captivating, which for a film that is but a two-way conversation says a lot of the acting and of the impassioned screenplay by Kirkman. Frankly, need more be said?

›› check out the Official Trailer on YouTube.

›› revised: Thursday, 18th March, 2021.

Gay Visibility - overt.
Nudity - bare-arsed cheek.
Overall - file under ... 4 stars.

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archive reference #2016033 - revised

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