Boys on Film 17: Love Is the Drug

I'll start right off by saying that I have no idea what three of the films were doing there at all under this title. "Boys" made me feel very queasy because of the perceived age of the actors, "Happy and Gay" was just unbearable and "Alex and the Handyman" had connotations of paedophilia.

Four of the films were good. "Sugar Daddy" was an acutely observed vignette of how age, in its yearnings, is mocked and used by the young. "Hole" was such an original idea and a view into a kind of life that we usually do not get a glimpse of. I didn't foresee the twists and turns at all nor the ending. "Pedro" was a slice of twenty four hours in a young guy's life and packed a lot of detail into its running time. "Kiss me Softly" was a wonderful slap in the face to a community steeped in convention.

As for the other two films, I found "Spoilers" unwatchable. It didn't grab me or interest me. "Tellin' Dad" was a hoot at the end and I enjoyed it. However, the impression I got was more of the dreadfulness of working-class life and the hideousness of the people and their lives than of the gay angle.

It's always unfair awarding an overall mark for a compilation but I can't give more than an overall four because of four of the films.

I found Spoilers to be the best. Both sweet and poignant, the two actors did a great job. At the other end of the spectrum was Boys which was really uncomfortable to watch due to the perceived age of the boys.

Sugar Daddy was the most surprising. It definitely went a direction I did not expect. The same can be said for Alex and the Handyman. One part creepy, one party funny - the child lead was captivating and extremely talented.

The most thought provoking and bizarre was Hole. WTF! Some things you can't unsee no matter how hard you try.