GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE February 15 2002

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Four little gems

Quartet of short films ranges from farm kids to an old man's final wish

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Jour de Fete Films' video release "Boys to Men" is a compilation of four gay-themed short films of varying length and subject. Each is a little gem and together the four make for a very satisfying video experience.

The first film is Crush, written and directed by Phillip Bartell. In the heat of the farmland sun in rural Illinois one summer. 12-year-old Tina meets 16-year-old Robbie. As they strike up a friendship, sharing TV and bubble-gum music, Tina develops a huge crush on Robbie. The only kink in the scheme of things is that Robbie is gay and has a huge crush of his own, on a boy he's seen around

town.

Tina is initially devastated by Robbie's revelation and finds herself behaving in irrationally funny yet poignant ways. As she struggles with this rejection she grows up a lot, and eventually realizes that life will go

on.

The film is cleverly directed and tells the story effectively, taking us into the pain of rejection and the giddy glory of falling in crush. The performances by the youngsters are marvelously mature. As Tina. Ema A. Tuennerman is a joy to watch and steals the audience's heart. Brett Chukerman as Robbie captures beautifully the confusion of fending off a girl's advances and trying to make advances of his own, on the boy he desperately wants to love.

The Mountain King is the second short in this compilation and a drastic change from the first. Here, a persuasive and aggressive street hustler enters the life of a straight young man, and forever changes him. This fateful encounter occurs on a beach and at first the straight man doesn't know that the hustler is what he is. He is drawn to the enigma of this hustler and eventually opens up to exploring things with him that he would not have dreamt possible only a few mo-

ments ago.

This is indeed a film about two opposites coming together and they each transform the other. The straight man learns what it is like to let go of inhibition and understands the meaning of giving in to pleasure. The hustler learns, albeit for a brief moment, what it feels like to truly connect with another human being, outside of the realm of merely the flesh. They both find catharsis through one another and yet, at the end, thanks to the director's move away from sentimentalism. they both must go back to their original roles. The film is beautifully shot on digital video and the actors, John Sloan and Paul Dawson, turn in two of the strongest performances I have seen on short films in recent memory. Their interactions are both intensely

erotic and filled with a sense of joi de vivre. This all ends when they realize that life chooses paths for each of us, and though we may swerve from them for a time, we must eventually get back on our own individual tracks.

Dan Castle's ... lost is the collection's third and shortest film. It captures, very quickly, a day in the life of a young man who

BOYS TO MEN

is lost in a world of drugs, anonymous tricks, unsafe sex and HIV. The film is frank and even though it doesn't preach, the message is abundantly clear. In the press notes to the film. Castle says it "was made as a response to the current wave of

complacency regarding unsafe sex sweeping across the world in the gay community." He says it is a "wake-up call to the community." and the fast pace, frank imagery and brutal honesty of the film are certainly eye-opening.

The compilation concludes with The Confession, written and directed by Carl Pfirman. Here we are taken into a world rarely seen in gay cinema, a relationship between older gay men who have been loving and living together for a long, long time.

Joseph is on his deathbed with cancer and he wants, as a dying wish, to return to his faith. He asks his partner Caesar to call for a priest to absolve him of his life's sins. This request turns the relationship upside down for a while as the two confront what it means to be committed. what it means to have faith. and what it means to be mortal.

The film is a wonderfully acted and illustrated journey of two men who realize, that despite their differing ideals on faith, that ultimately their love for each other must allow them to accept their disparate views on that subject.

The Confession not only takes us into the world of the aging queer population, but it takes us deep into the conflicts within Catholicism on faith and gay sexuality.

Pfirman's directing is lucid and compelling and his two leads, Brent Kraemer (Joseph) and Tom Fitzpatrick (Caesar) turn in moving, humorous and extremely human performances.

"Boys to Men" is one of the better compilations of gay shorts available out there. Each film is a tiny gem and will take you on a unique journey.

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