The queer artist Bruce LaBruce has done some entertainment films like The Raspberry Reich, and his movies are often kind of camp where he mixes classical film stereotypes with clichés from gay porn. This film is camp as well, but it feels like it was not intentional. Cause I think that we are supposed to take this story seriously. It feels like an attempt to look cinematic where the director tries to frame the pictures perfectly but doesn't manage to do this as the way it was intended. The script could need an extra rewrite, and I like the promise of the twin brother who meets and catch desire for each other and the mythology of Narcissus.
The movie's sound is kind of a disaster, they seem to have dubbed several scenes after, especially scenes outside, and they sound like they are in a basement, and there is zero engagement in the tones from the actors. Also, the sound effects sound like they are picked from an old cartoon, which isn't helping if the intention was to make the film feel serious.
The material the actors have to work with is not great, but it isn't helping that they are not the best actors either. A great actor can deliver even if they are working with a script that isn't that good.
This film has been described as being controversial, my biggest issue was to keep my focus on the film, and I was checking my watch to see how long that was left. Bruce LaBruce might be relevant two decades ago and have been essential for the queer art cinema, but this film shows that he has stagnation in his artwork, and it hasn't been any progress since then. Luckily it has been for queer cinema as a whole, so there are much better films to watch today.
