Gay-themed shorts go from 'Boys to Men,' with mixed results
This new collection of gay-themed short films mirrors the cycle of life's experiences, beginning with childhood ("Crush"), moving on through young adulthood ("The Mountain King," "... lost") and ending with old age ("The Confession"). Like life, though, some experiences are better than others.
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Phillip Bartell's "Crush" charmingly asks the question, "Can people who are really different have a relationship?" The answer, of course, is yes, even though the people in this case are an earnest 12-year-old girl and the quiet gay teen boy she's got a crush on. Young Tina (Ema A. Tuennerman, a bit stilted but adorable) struggles mightily to understand her friend. Despite ultra-ultra-low-budget production values, a genuine sweetness shines through.
Duncan Tucker's "The Mountain King," the daylong encounter of a street hustler and a young straight man at a beach house, has a minimalist style that unfortunately backfires. The men are both ciphers, and despite some interesting visuals (the beach shots have a nice desolation), it's ultimately kind of dull. Even less intriguing is "... lost," writer/director Dan Castle's pretentiously titled excuse to show two very attractive men having some very explicit and nicely lit sex, complete with scrotum shots. Despite an attempt at the end to achieve poignancy, it felt entirely pointless.
Luckily, things wrap up with "The Confession," the best of the lot. Bert Kraemer and Tom Fitzpatrick play an elderly couple coping with impending death and questions of faith. Writer/director Carl Pfirman allows his story, in which the ill Joseph asks his partner Caesar to bring a priest to the house, to unfold quietly with little fuss, with an ending all the more moving for its restraint.
Moira Macdonald can be reached at 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com.