Tom Heard makes his debut feature as writer, producer and director. Heard had worked as an actor, mainly a stage actor, based in Austin, Texas, for over 30 years. He finally takes the reins to bring us what feels like a very personal film, a rather simple, same-sex romance, but it is effectively, if not powerfully told. It focuses on an older gay man who eventually gets involved with a younger man. Thankfully, ageism isn't a factor in the narrative. Yes, it's commented upon, but it's not really a sticking point in the story. It's more about a kind of depression, two men dealing with depression, how both isolate themselves and how one in particular has that reflected as an outgrowth of his selfishness. It's a romantic comedy and a bit of a bare bones musical that's powerfully effective in its simplicity. There's no contrived or gimmicky premise, such as
The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020) or even
Love, Simon (2018). It's a pared-down, character study and a mature romance that most Hollywood films don't get right.
Heard himself even stars here as Jaime, a man in his late 40's and possibly early 50's. He lives in Austin, Texas. He works as a writer for a city newspaper. He likes it, but writing wasn't exactly his dream job. When he was younger, he aspired to be an actor and singer. He especially loves singing, but now the only singing he does is by himself in his apartment, much to the chagrin of his neighbors. Apparently, he used to sing all the time or regularly at a local gay lounge, Rain on 4th, and other venues, but, after a pretty painful breakup, Jaime has abandoned public singing.
Donato De Luca co-stars as Ben, a young man about half the age of Jaime. He's probably just past college-age. He might be 22 or 23. He works as a freelance writer. He writes pieces and submits them to various outlets. He doesn't seem to be having much luck at the moment. Currently, he lives with his brother and sister-in-law in their apartment, which happens to be adjacent to Jaime's. One of the reasons Ben isn't having much luck is because his preferred writing is poetry and his poetry probably hasn't been the best, since he seems depressed after also losing someone close to him, his mother. What exacerbates his depression is the blame that comes from not only himself but also his sibling.
Yes, there is a lot of depression and heartache in this narrative, but Heard's film doesn't revel in those negative emotions. There is humor and heart that buoy the whole affair. The first bit of humor comes in the form of Adrian Laguette who plays Linus, the fellow neighbor and friend to Jaime. He's the veritable Linus to Jaime's Charlie Brown. Instead of a security blanket, Linus here has a clipboard he constantly carries around. He also apparently makes a mean chicken spaghetti.
However, the main humor and heart come in the relationship between Jaime and Ben. For a brief chunk, theirs becomes like something out of a screwball comedy. The banter and even the quiet moments rises as a kind of back-and-forth that is entertaining. It seems as if Heard also allowed De Luca a little freedom in his performance. Some of it might also be Heard rushing through certain scenes and moments, but, either way, it allowed De Luca to stumble in ways that didn't hinder his performance but made him feel more natural and real. It all ends up balanced though with some nice pathos, regarding a man who lost touch with his dreams, so therefore he retreats and hides from taking any steps forward either in his professional career or his personal life. How he finally has to overcome and "get it" represents a terrific effort from Tom Heard in his first film.
Not Rated but contains sexual situations and language.
Running Time : 1 hr. and 43 mins.
Available on Dekkoo.
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