The Perfect Son

I am writing this after just seeing The Perfect Son at the 2002 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney, Australia.

When their Father dies, two estranged brothers meet at the funeral and after discovering that one of the brothers is dying from AIDS, they enter on a heart warming journey of reconciliation. The two leads do a magnificent job of creating the gradual warmth and respect that builds up between them as the movie progresses. I do have one qualm about the movie though - whilst the brother who is dying acts sick, he doesn't look it. A person of 0 T4 cells would look quite ill - not even a make up job to make the actor look ill was employed. A small gripe, but one that makes it a bit less realistic. Despite that one small gripe, The Perfect Son is a wonderful movie and should you have the chance to see it- do. I'm hoping for a DVD release in the near future!

Based on another comment, the writer/director's own brother died of AIDS. That should explain why the film centers on the straight brother's journey from just-out-of-rehab screw-up to responsible adult. And why the character of the gay brother dying of AIDS exists solely to help the straight character become a better person.

That and the film has a funereal pace and a constant, droning piano-based score that is like a non-stop dirge. Also, the straight brother conquers his poor self-esteem and lingering cravings all too easily, while the gay brother never looks particularly ill, even when close to death.

Neither of the two leading characters are dealt with in sufficient depth. We never get a good sense of why either brother went on their own self-destructive paths. This is particularly true of the gay brother Ryan, who's reckless, promiscuous behavior leading to his illness cries out for some context and exploration, but all we get is Ryan crying out "I hated myself so much!" late in the film.

But the film isn't about Ryan; it's about Theo the straight brother and his transformation from former addict on the edge to caring guy who gets his old girlfriend back and a baby on the way to boot.

The film's portrayal of Ryan, and gay life in general, is very limited stereotypical, and ultimately condescending. Ryan has a history of many sexual partners but no real relationships, which has led up to his illness. He supposedly has many friends, but we only see a single trick early in the film (practicing safe sex, one hopes) and one queeny friend later on who gestures with his cigarette as if he's Diana Vreeland.

Since Theo manages to establish himself on the road to a serious relationship and fatherhood, the juxtaposition of his accomplishment vs. Ryan's dead-end existence speaks volumes. The gay brother becomes merely an object of pity and a tool for the hetero characters (and audiences as well) to feel good about themselves, and gay life is, in the last analysis, presented as empty and suicidal. This is the kind of thing I would have expected to be made 25 years ago.

The past creeps up on a rehab-addict when he reconnects with his ill brother and a former girlfriend after what he hopes was his last stint in detox. "Life's dramas", presented here in the most simplistic way imaginable (not even the writing has any bite or wit). The cast is made up of attractive looking actors smiling glumly at one another, and the music and photography are lugubrious (a couple of the visual effects are laughable, indie-cliché touches that reek of a puny budget). Although written and directed by a man, this was produced by a woman, and I'm not sure but I think this may be a distinct reason why this picture about two men, estranged brothers growing closer, never quite gels, never feels natural or seems lived in. It's an attempt to get inside a male relationship, but the careful, sterile presentation is a cheat. No one's heart is in this, living, breathing, or bleeding this material. "The Perfect Son" is quickly diffused by too many cooks in the kitchen.