Disregarded

I saw Disregarded as part of a film festival in the fall of 2015. The film is about a college student who is starting to come to terms with his sexuality. Without revealing too much about the film, what impressed me about this film was that it was realistic with how many (if not most) gay people start to discover who they are and how they should deal with it. I've seen too many short films over the years at various LGBT film festivals that explore the topic of coming out in an extreme way, e.g. the characters are either half naked throughout the film and fall in love/lust by the end, or they suffer tragic or violent fates. That's not to minimize such experiences or to say this doesn't ever happen in real life, because it does, but these depictions don't represent all LGBT people.

Disregarded differs in that the main character's struggles are more internal. Thus these struggles have to be depicted more through body language and implication than direct dialogue. The conclusion is open- ended, which was appropriate since coming out is not a single life event but a process which continues throughout one's life.

The actors in the film were all natural; none of them were overreaching or stretching. Director Edwin Hernandez is to be commended for trusting the audience to embrace the story without resorting to using movie clichés.

I might never have seen this film if it weren't for my friendship with the writer/director and his friendship with my late son. I am grateful that I saw it. "Disregarded" approaches the themes of being closeted/coming out in a very thoughtful and subtle way - showing the viewer not only the big questions but also the daily, grinding, almost offhand micro-aggressions faced by LGBTQ people all the time.

Early in the film, the main character, Blake, is only beginning to realize that he is different from his straight friends and acquaintances. He suffers in silence as his schoolmates launch homophobic slurs against students outside of their circles and especially those who appear different are vulnerable. His fear of being cast as an outsider leads him to acquiesce to this behavior, making him feel guilty and cowardly at the same time.

As his awareness grows, his close friends also notice that changes are occurring in his behavior and point of view. Confused and in pain, he sometimes overreacts to their questions, again increasing his anguish and guilt. He is also feeling progressively lonelier among his apparently straight friends. Ultimately he becomes attracted to someone who is harassed and ostracized by his fellow students.

The director and cast have woven these manifold pressures into a comprehensible and cohesive picture of the challenges faced by LGBTQ students who are merely trying to find happiness and to survive as minority members of a polarized, insensitive, and sometimes threatening society. At the same time, the movie tempers Blake's difficult journey with patience, kindness, and hope.

"Disregarded" will make you think and it will grab your heart.