Le dernier hétéro sur terre

"The Last Straight Man"

A 12 Year Long One Night Stand

Amos Lassen

"The Last Straight Man" is going to be one of the movies of the year, I predict. Director Mark Bessenger ("Bite Marks") sent me at advance copy and I watched it last night. It has been on my mind ever since. Evidently I am not alone in praising the film because this morning 8/10/14 it won the Alternative Spirit Award Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival! This the first year they've split the features away from the shorts, into separate categories.

Now this is going to be a bit difficult to describe the film without giving something away but I will say that this is a movie filled with surprises. It is all about a one-night stand that lasts for 12 years. I must admit that after the first few minutes of the film I thought I had it all figured out but to my chagrin it took a totally different direction than what I expected. The film opens at Cooper's bachelor party and we see some exotic dancing from a hired female stripper but we also notice that one of the party guests does not get involved. Moving a bit forward we are in Lewis's (Mark Cirillo) hotel suite and with Lewis (the one who did not get involved with the lap dancing) and Cooper (Scott Sell). They are talking about life will be different once Coop gets married and he talks Lewis into having a couple of tequila shots and playing the game, "Three Questions" which is important because we will see it recur later.

In the course of the evening Lewis comes out as bisexual and he does so in the answer to one of the three questions. One thing leads to another and adding alcohol, the new men exchange oral sex. According to Cooper this will never happen again yet it does every year on the same date for the next eleven years. Over the course of twelve years, we see four additional nights that depict how the two men grow and how their friendship changes as they mature and age—Coop becomes a father, Lewis remains a loner and so on. There are certain rules to their meetings—booze, cigars, condoms and lube and eventually Lewis moves from bottom to top Cooper who never admits to being gay. He is a married man but we hear very little about the wife and I had the feeling that the reason that Coop married her was because of societal expectations.

We see a total of five nights (including the first) that the two men spend together and how their relationship changes. Sexuality is a complex subject and in this film you see how much that is true. It is also of the few films in which the leads begin as bisexuals yet we only see them act on their gay desires. In fact, when we first meet Lewis and Coop they are both closeted—Lewis has at least acted on his desire but Coop will act the first time with his best friend.

The two men decide to meet secretly in the same hotel and on the same night with the pretext of catching up with their lives but they actually further explore their sexual desires. We see the changes in friendship and relationship over the passage of twelve years.

I really believe that this will be one of the films of this year if not THE film. Everything about it is wonderful from the actors to the situations and if any of you have lusted after someone you will find yourself here. Bessenger has made yet another film of which he can be proud and we can be entertained and left with something to think about. I rarely rave about a film but this one is really one to rave about.

Over the last week, I've seen a few gay-themed movies, and oddly several containing Mark Cirillo; well...I can honestly say this is the only one I liked. He is of course type-cast as "the gay guy" (not sure he can overcome his "gay voice") and his long-time friend is played by Scott Sell, who absolutely comes off as a virile, sexually curious man who struggles with his feelings for his friend on the eve of what for most is a lifelong commitment. The pace of the film is perfect as we see the "progression" of their relationship from year to year. If you can tolerate the sex scenes (and warning: they are very blunt...think Brokeback Mountain), there really is a good mix of character-revealing dialogue, to the point where you start asking yourself who is really being honest to whom...more by what ISN'T being said. The only negative is the odd insertion of rambling, sappy monologues (can't blame Mark for this...he didn't write it). All in all, this was a very well-thought, entertaining "fluffy" work, which can actually be thought-provoking if you read between the lines.

A very involving film from filmmaker Mark Bessenger, "The Last Man" standing is a therapeutic treat for anyone who's been involved in truncated relationships. From the outset, both leading men are aware of their feelings for one another. Lewis (Mark Cirillo) is a closeted man throwing a bachelor party for his straight best friend and secret crush, Cooper (Scott Sell). However, they also realize their relationship is doomed due to to the marital circumstance surrounding Cooper. Emotions run high as both men agree to schedule a yearly one night stand reprieve from the grind of life. During this interlude they are both allowed to ask three intimate questions to be answered as truthfully and as authentically as possible. That opportunity allows both lead characters to exchange confessions on their true feelings in addition to giving each other the needed updates they crave just to see where their relationship stands. You would think that Lewis is unilaterally suffering through the bulk of heartache this unrequited love situation is generating. However, much suffering is to be had by Cooper who is torn between his family and his real belated love found for Lewis. This is the type of love that has grown so out of bounds, Cooper does not know how to deal with his emotions.

The beauty of this film lies in what is not said. Both Lewis and Cooper are deeply in love and their non verbal exchange speaks volumes. Their jokes fall flat whenever they come close to addressing their real feelings forcing one or both to change the subject.

"May your hair never fall, your dick always rise and your kids never call your brother-in-law daddy" is only one of the many witty dialogue shared by both Cooper and Lewis in what may seem at times to be funny banter translate into the men trying their hardest to convey their deepest sentiments. Their language, muddled by the restrictive code of silence men as a species have been known to observe in order to preserved the stereotypical macho front, is made to cover any an all possible honest feelings that may withdraw true emotion leading to a defensiveness that would expose and possibly lead to the outpouring of one's authentic self.

In the form of a visual collage, the film skips to several progressive life events as both men evolve with the passage of time. As the men age w life experience, so does their love, affection and understanding of each other, which only seems to grow stronger with time, until Lewis realizes that at some point he has to be the better man and do the right thing for the benefit of Cooper's family. Such selflessness is what makes Lewis a likable character. He's always the reasonable one, where Cooper just wants to take their opportunity to let loose, and be who he really is. During their exchange of emotion in the bedroom, you can't help but to feel the plight and internal struggle they both face, but it is Lewis, who most of the times seems to be relegated to make the difficult choices.

Production values are satisfactory for this digital production. However, at times misplaced music becomes distracting in some very key moments that demand full attention for the words being exchanged between the two leads. Performances are courageous and engaging as both actors flawlessly perform with due diligence even during scenes of pervasive nudity and very explicit sexual situations. Kudos to Mark Cirillo & Scott Sell who create admirable performances, and also for their bravery in choosing to stay true to the story with some very demanding and at times difficult moments both leading men share as they emote during their intimacy.

"The Last Straight Man" is a delight of a film, with an involved story that will leave you pondering on many underlying themes dealing with the way men express themselves and treat each other, and how not knowing to express true feelings can have long term and irreversible consequences on a life that should have been with the one.

The overall storyline is, as far as I know, quite original, but it depends on dealing with denial of & confusion over sexual identity and the consequent subterfuge that results from the constraints that society attempts to impose on our "acceptable" behavior and our permitted relationships, none of which are ground-breaking themes.

The film is almost entirely made up of conversations between Lewis and Cooper as they have their annual reunions, which means that the quality of the movie depends almost entirely on the scripted dialogue and its delivery by Mark Cirillo and Scott Sell … and both range from moderately good to mediocre. Often the conversations have flat-lined long before they end and the occasional slapstick in the hotel, presumably included to regain the viewers' drifting attention, seems more ridiculous than funny.

The situations and dialogue often seem contrived, labored, sophomoric, inconsistent and sometimes illogical. There are some moderately amusing moments and I suppose the whole concept of Cooper living one life for 364 days a year and then something quite different one day a year is humorous in a sad way.

Watchable, but not especially noteworthy or engaging.

A beautiful story, seductive told. A story about friendship becoming love, about attraction and about 12 years period , one night, a hotel room, talks and drinks and sex and doubts about the other.

The best virtue is the impecable simplicity.

Second - the acting.

And the fair, gentle exploration of relations, fears, responsabilities, decisions and shadows of ambiguity game.

The second good point remains the lovely realism. The book, the shots, the talk, the crumbs of humor are just beautiful pillars of a story pretending be only a confession about hidden side of near reality. It is more than a romance but a wise crafted portrait of choices.

The end - obvious, one of the provocative ones. But, in essence, just this is the point.