“HOLDING TREVOR”–the best of the new gay cinema

“Holding Trevor”

The Best of the New Gay Cinema

Amos Lassen

I rarely get really excited about a new movie. Sure I may give rave reviews and say wonderful things but I rarely get excited. There have been two recent gay films that I think are outstanding. One is “We’re All Angels”, the documentary about gay duo Jason and Demarco (directed By Robert Nunez) and the other is “Holding Trevor” (directed by Rossner Goodman), a poignant, unbelievably self-deprecating very dark comedy that speaks to all of us.

“Holding Trevor” is a very hard movie to classify. It deals with so many issues and is both lyrical and complex as it looks at the culture of today’s youth, HIV, addictions, self-acceptance, self-discovery and friendship. In fact, it deals with all of the aspects of gay life today. This film is so beautiful and so honest that it hurts. I found myself tearing up often as I watched it and thinking that I have never seen anything quite like it and the way that it is so brutally honest.

We all know that life is a quest and a journey. We are all seekers, looking for something—never quite knowing what it is. I believe we are looking for ourselves and like us, Trevor Holden (brilliantly portrayed by Brent Gorski who also wrote the screenplay), searches to find himself just as we all do—looking in all of the wrong places. His boyfriend is strung out on drugs and Trevor is just at a loss as to what to do. When he suddenly meets Mr. Right who will not let Trevor give up on himself, he realizes that one step in the right direction means charting a whole new way to go.

When Trevor almost loses his boyfriend to a heroin overdose, he becomes lost. Even with Darrell’s (his boyfriend) drug problem, Trevor can’t seem t let go of him but with this near death experience, he realizes that it is time to go. But he does feel that he must help Darrell even when his best best friends, Andie and Jake, advise him not to. When Trevor meets Ephram everything changes. Ephram is everything that Darrell is not and Trevor falls hard but the relationship does not sit well with his friends. They want Trevor to think the way they do. Jake is afraid that his past as an addict will end up with the diagnosis of HIV and Andie’s promiscuity shows that she has her own share of problems. As Ephram and Trevor continue in their relationship and give a party to celebrate their togetherness, Darrell shows up as an uninvited guest and begs Trevor to come back to him and help him fight his addiction. What this does is to make Trevor question if his disregarding his “ex” is the right thing to do as well as to question his relationship with Ephram. He doesn’t have a long time to make a decision because Ephram has accepted a new job far away and wants Trevor with him. Trevor must make the decision and in doing so he chooses the way that will take everyone to the most important thing they need to know—themselves.

So much of this film hits home. It is a thorough look at those trying to make something of their lives and attempting everything to do so except looking at themselves and in their own hearts.

From what I have read about this film is that it, like Trevor’s life, was a journey. The original idea came to screenwriter and star, Gorski, three years before the film was made. His script is based on his own personal life experiences as well as those of people he knows. Because of this, the story is personal and thereby one to which we can all relate. What we get is a film full of charm which is beautifully directed, full of humor and very, very moving and emotional. Gorski is beautiful to watch both in countenance and the in the way he performs his part as Trevor.

The musical score carries the movie beautifully. The original songs and excellent direction and beautiful cinematography make this small film a feast for the eyes and the ears. I found it to be not only a gem of a film but one that will become not only part of the gay cinematic canon but that will be at the top of the list.