“Signage”– getting older

“Signage”

Getting Older

Amos Lassen

One of the things that seem to bother gay men more than anything else is getting older. We all know that this is something we all have to face but we choose to pretend like it will never happen and then before we realize it, it happens. I have always described being older as when I became one of the guys I used to say “no” to.

Rick Hammerly looks at the issue of again in a unique way in his 12 minute short film “Signage” (Idle Rich Productions). It all takes place in a very short period of time but it hits hard. A forty-one year old and his good friend venture out (as they seem to do every evening) to a local gay bar. While having a drink, he sees a very good looking deaf man enjoying himself with a group of his non-hearing friends. The two men exchange glances and states and finally the younger man approaches the older and discovers that he is capable of “speaking” in sign. They discover a mutual attraction for each other and they decide to leave together. However, the younger man feels he must spend some more times with his friends. When he finally returns, he explains that he will not be able to keep his date. Flustered and caught unprepared the older guy wants to know if it is because he is older only to learn that it is because he can hear. The movie ends there.

The movie is extremely well done and totally believable. It is well shot, well acted and, in fact, everything about it is done well. This is one of those shorts, that if you can see it, you do not want to miss.