Latter Days - Can You Be a HoMormon?
by Tallulah
Givehead
Thank Gawd Ah was not
wearing make-up layust night! Ah would hayuv made a
big mess. The struggles we go through as we trah to
balance our homosexuality with our beliefs ... and
our families ... is the core of
Latter Days.
Christian (Wesley
A. Ramsey)[Ah thought it was a cute
tongue-in-cheek name for this charactah.) is a
handsome young man who flits from guy to guy without
much of a thought in his pretty little head. All his
co-workers at Lila's restaurant expect only the
latest bedroom report from him. So when his roommate
Julie (Rebekah
Jordan) discovers that the gorgeous group of
young men next door are Mormon missionaries,
Christian bets he can bed one of them. Christian
quickly moves in for the kill, targeting Elder Aaron
Davis (Steve
Sandvoss). Their initial encounters have a
charged sexual tension, but fear of the devil keeps
Aaron's libido at bay. When the two find themselves
alone together they kiss passionately. Aaron's
Mormon roommates interrupt, spot their brother as a
homo and send him back in shame to his Idaho
hometown and embarrassed parents.
It is at this point
we see a bit inside Mormon society and how it works
so deeply into the lives of its people. And, this
too, is where we witness Aaron struggle to balance
his old life and all it entails with his new life.
It's a remarkable "coming out" journey.
C. Jay Cox
wrote and directed this film, as well as the great
film
Sweet Home Alabama which included a great gay
character but
Latter Days is clearly a project of love.
All of the acting is first-rate, including
Amber Benson as Christian's co-worker,
Mary Kay Place as Aaron's stern mother and
Jacqueline Bisset as Christian's restaurant boss
who harbors her own secrets (a B-plot whose sole
intent is to heighten the emotional context of the
film and possibly, give Jaqueline some "acting
room.").
If you hayuv
not seen this - SEE IT! If you have not purchased
this for your collection -
BUY IT NOW!
Tallulah Givehead is
a Fabulous drag queen living in Portland, Oregon
(Lord only knows why!) writing reviews of gay film
by day and tearing up the stage by night. You
can read her reviews here as well as at her blog,
QUEER VUE MIRROR.
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