Defying Gravity

Once in a while you run into a movie that packs a wallop not because it is flawless, but in spite of, indeed almost because of, its flaws. I found the first 20 minutes or so of `Defying Gravity' very hard to sit through, and was still uncomfortable halfway through the film. The depiction of frat life seemed all too convincing; how could we have any sympathy for a main character who would buy into such cheesy `male camaraderie' at its most off-putting? (There is a coarse common term for these frat boys and their behavior, but I'll avoid using it here.) Even when the action moved beyond the suffocating atmosphere of the frat house and the tailgate party -- the evocation of said atmosphere being the first sign, perhaps, that writer-director John Keitel knew what he was doing after all -- I had the uneasy feeling I was watching yet another well-intentioned paint-by-numbers Afterschool Special about coming out, especially when the inevitable clichéd gay-bashing (right down to the baseball bats) took place.

But that is precisely when `Defying Gravity' begins to take an unexpected turn, gathering momentum when you least expect it. Once Griff has to face the reality of the consequences of his hiding, this film starts to soar. That's not because the plot ceases to be fairly predictable; it doesn't. What lifts this above most other movies, and certainly many gay-themed flicks, is how squarely and unapologetically it addresses and depicts love in its many forms. There's the true love of friendship between the closeted Griff and the straight, trying-to-understand Todd. (Why is any gay-themed movie with sympathetic straight characters derided as fantasy? Hello! – understanding straight friends and family really do happen in `real life.' Talk about self-hatred …) There's a brief, but extremely potent, display of parental love (kudos to Kevin P. Wright as Pete's father). And above all, there's the belated but knockout realization of the love between Griff and Pete, in the final hospital scene and the beautiful little coda – the most powerful emotional payoff I've seen onscreen in quite a while. In terms of conviction, it all puts the more recent, vastly overrated "Big Eden," for instance, totally in the shade.

Clearly Mr. Keitel deserves credit for turning this movie around the way he does. And then there's the cast. Nicklaus Lange's finely tuned performance makes Todd a real person, not a buddy wish fulfillment. Don Handfield as Pete has a smaller role than one might anticipate but, crucial to the film's impact, he underplays this more grounded character to perfection. "Defying Gravity" ultimately rests, however, on the shoulders of Daniel Chilson as Griff, and boy does he come through: I see something very different here from those who commented on supposedly amateurish acting. Chilson can do more with his face – particularly his endearing, slightly off-kilter smile – than many much more highly touted performers. Watch the extraordinarily nuanced play of emotions across that face when Pete's housemate tells Griff `he really cares about you,' and in the aforementioned final two scenes between Griff and Pete. That's what film acting is all about. Bravo, Daniel! When will we see you onscreen again?

Griff and Pete are two regular guys going to college someplace in the Western U.S., that enjoy rough housing with their friends, partying, going to sporting events, all the typical "guy" things, except dating in public, since they're gay. Pete is proud of his relationship with Griff, Griff however, is afraid that he'll have to choose between his lover, and his frat house friends.

When Pete gets attacked after they have an argument, Griff has the difficult choice to make of helping catch Pete's assailants and being 'out-ed', or letting his partner's assailants possibly get away.

This movie is not nearly as light hearted as "Get Real", and most of the characters aren't developed as fully as they could have been. I gave it a higher rating than I normally would have, since it was a really good effort by independent film makers.

There's a gem of a script here. Clearly the filmmaker is working on a ultra low budget. Many of the supporting cast deliver their lines as if they are in a high school play -- they are painfully wooden. However the idea behind the film is an important one and the film will touch you on multiple levels. I somehow wish this script could get fine tuned and remade as a major production. I feel the film as a lot to say about the pressures of college life -- especially that of living in a frat house on a big ten campus and having to lead a double life.

Some of the material for the story appears to have been inspired by the Matthew Shepard story and the film feels extremely relevant.

In spite of the low budget nature of the film, see this picture!

I went with low expectations, and came out really having enjoyed this movie. Griff and Pete, members of a fraternity at USC, are having an affair. Griff is closeted, and still lives at the frathouse. Pete has left the frathouse, and is on the verge of coming out. He want more from Griff than just sex. Griff is unwilling to have a real relationship (complete with dating, dining, acknowledging a partner), but does not give up on pursuing Pete. Pete even gets Griff to meet him at a gay coffeehouse. Then comes the gaybashing incident that changes everything.

The guys in this movie are handsome and believable. The frathouse scenes seem real--they let you understand the camaraderie that make people want to be part of frats, but at the same time deprive them of the room to be themselves. The gaybashing is an overused plot device, but it works to make this into a poignant movie about the dilemmas faced by gays who want to fit in, don't want to risk being open, yet need affection along with sex from another man.

This film was such a wonderful surprise when I saw it in the

theater -- multiple times, in fact. Candidly, I liked it because I could

really identify with the character of Griffin. The chemistry between

Pete and Griff feels very real. Yes, this is a low-budget film and it

suffers a bit in production values, but the performances are strong

and I enjoy it more with each viewing now on DVD. Some have

criticized it for being cliche, but quite the opposite is true: the film is

remarkable because of the absence of stereotypes we've come to

expect in gay-themed art films: drag queens, dysfunctional

families, everyone dying of AIDS, disco music, diva worship,

pot-smoking, musical theater fanatics, "sissies," leather daddies,

the athletically-challenged...there's none of that here. Griff and Pete

are probably the most accurate representation of most gay men

that have appeared on the screen to date. They're just like any

other guys their age, except that their romantic interests are

focused on guys rather than girls. Had this film been made ten

years earlier, Griff would almost certainly have been portrayed as a

nerdy, unlikable, social outcast; but Griff is every frat boy's best

friend. Two thumbs up for this one.