Handsome Harry

.....in a new subclass of male / female sexuality: "STI-FLEXUALS."

(( "STI-FLEXUALITY"......it's a whole new word....a whole new descriptive title for a subclass of human sexuality. Beginning today, there is not only Heterosexuality....Homosexuality....Bisexuality..., BUT also this new subcategory. And peculiar to this subclass of "Stifled Sexuality" comes a new label for the Killer Fear that suppressing such feelings and behavior generates in us: "CLOSETOPHOBIA"....fear of coming out of the you-know-what )).

(( And when, in your less than fully happy life, events arise which force you to realize that it is YOU who have Stifled...no, Crushed...the God-given purpose in life of another human being (in very fact, the Love of Your Life), you become nothing less than a Shattered human being. Your only...ONLY hope being the possibility of Forgiveness" )).

Given us by this film....this writer....this director and, ultimately, by Harry himself....are vividly disturbing scenes of the devastating emotional and physical damages that such "Stifling" of our own sexual needs and desires can bring about. Following is just a very short list of some of those damages:

• Very often, unhappiness and a sense of not having succeeded on the part of any spouse caught up in a marriage to a "Sti-flexual" partner (divorce is often the outcome).

• Frequently, lack of closeness and connection between the "Sti-flexual" parent and his / her children, if any.

• In most cases there is the despair and sense of non-worth which can, for years, smolder within the "Sti-flexual" (even suicide has been a drastic result).

• Violence (often fatal) by one or more persons against an individual(s).

• Lastly in situations like this, successful attempts at "Making it Right" or "Making up for Lost Time" are rarely achieved...or come far too late. So ask yourself after viewing this film -- Has Harry succeeded in doing so....or hasn't he?

If you learn nothing else from this film, take away this: What will ALWAYS stay with a someone like Harry is the ever hurting realization that this lost part of his (maybe Our) life has become just a throwaway....instead of a sweet and wonderful what-might-have-been. YET, can there still be REAL happiness in this kind of a man's future? Perhaps....perhaps. And in this regard, there is a based-on-true-life motion picture story of just such a salvation, now making its way through the new releases circuit. Aaahh, so perhaps all potential, and real, Harrys should be making their way to see this big-star, and likely award winning film, titled, "BEGINNERS."

Thanks, Harry, the trip's been fun!

(( PS--So, has this movie been talking about only Harry....or perhaps Me....or perhaps You, as well? ))

****

Handsome Harry (2009)

The title is perfectly understated, and a bit misleading, whatever your first impressions. Harry is the main character, a man around 60 with memories of a brutal beating he and some fellow sailors gave a mate of theirs in the Viet Nam era. Long ago. The main thread of the movie follows him as he revisits each of the participants, including the man who was beaten.

With such a solid structure you are in some ways hooked. Each encounter has its own twists. And each time we see, through flashbacks, a sharpening picture of what really happened. It's a fascinating building of a story, even with some weakness here and there in the writing and acting.

And key to it all is a misguided homophobia, and what turns out to be a more complicated fear of being outed and a little self-loathing. Some of the characters Harry visits are finely tuned types, well acted. We see how everyone has changed, and how their sense of who they are, alone and to each other, has also changed.

Most of all we see Harry come to terms with his own demons on this. Jamey Sheridan plays him with studied restraint, and yet gives the man enough believable nuances to keep it honest. The biggest name in the cast is the first of Harry's encounters, Steve Buscemi, but if you are a fan of his (as you should be) be prepared that his role is really limited. And John Savage appears as one of the group, too. There are some strains in the other actors' parts either because of their ability to pull off a mostly talking movie or because the writing itself stumbles. In particular you'll see Harry barge into a classroom and interrupt the teacher and sort of take over the podium for a minute, and it's so out of character and unlikely it almost punctures the whole movie.

But hang in there. The final chapter or two is intense and written with poignancy. And it might surprise some viewers. A strong finish to a good, sometimes lugubrious, somewhat strained telling.

At the start of the movie, I don't recall anyone saying where it took place, but after some time has passed, we can conclude it is not close to Philadelphia, Chicago or Miami. One character makes a reference to Albany like it is nearby, and the closing credits say it was made in New York state.

Wherever this movie takes place, Harry is ready to retire and turn his electrical business over to his top employee Pauley. Harry was an electrician in the Navy and worked for a business when he got out, later taking it over, and then he went somewhere that would let him forget something terrible that happened in his life, taking over another electrical business. Muriel, a waitress who seems to be a potential romantic partner, warns him retirement could kill him. Harry doesn't seem to care about that.

Harry's son Bobby comes from Chicago to spend time with his dad on his birthday. That doesn't turn out to be a very satisfactory visit, as Harry's old Navy friend Kelley calls to ask Harry to visit him in a VA hospital in Philadelphia, where he is near death. And Bobby is having his own problems.

Kelley fears he will not be forgiven for what the group did to Kagan. It takes us a while to find out exactly what happened, but they must have done something really bad. Flashbacks show the events that led up to what the men did. Kelley's memory is not clear because the men had been drinking, and Harry isn't too sure either. Harry continues his travels by visiting some of the others who participated.

Flashbacks show the friendship between Harry and Kagan, including a visit to his parents. It's a nice scene.

Rheems is not a nice man, abusive to his wife, and rejecting his homosexual son. The wife is attracted to Harry and wants to leave.

When Harry interrupts his college class, Prof. Porter denies having even been in the Navy, but the professor admits to having been a part of the group. Harry still doesn't get a clear answer.

Harry also visits Peter, who has a strong Christian faith which was made stronger my his wife's terrible accident, which left her paralyzed and completely dependent on others..

Harry finally goes to Miami to met with Kagan. Eventually, he gets the answers he seeks, and we learn what really happened.

This is a pretty good movie, with a number of moral questions and no easy answers.

I think all the leading actors do a good job. Steve Buscemi is always good, of course. I'm not familiar with Jamey Sheridan but he carries the movie. Campbell Scott stands out near the end as Kagan, not necessarily doing the expected. Karen Young also stands out as Muriel.

The music in this movie is great. Much of it is real jazz. Kagan was a talented pianist, and in the flashbacks, the members of his group loved jazz. Harry also sings with a doo-wop group and they're very good. They perform after a Barbershop group.

I think it's worth seeing.

On to the movie, it was pretty entertaining as far as indie films go. Jamie Sheridan played a complex, tortured and in the end, cowardly role. The destruction of his own life and other women around him is very sad indeed and art mirrors life. Not the happiest film certainly not a four star but certainly worth renting if you like something different than buildings getting blown up and cameras that spin. The tender scenes both gay and straight are done realistically and leave little to the imagination where sex is involved. I like Jamie as an actor and I was surprised that he took to this role and even more surprising was seeing his name as one of the producers. Good for you, Jamie. Handsome indeed.

(2009) Handsome Harry DRAMA

Harry Sweeney or "Handsome Harry" (Jamey Sheridan) hence the title makes a promise to former army friend Thomas Kelley (Steve Buscemi) before his passing, that he were to find and locate another former army recruit to whom they used to physically mock, tease and assault just because he was gay. And from the time Harry begins his journey to the time he goes and finds him, we're then shown in flashbacks some of the mistreatment or belittlement just because Harry thought it was what his army peers had wanted. The subject matter was much more relevant during the "don't say gay!' law than the current time.