Young love blooms between two teenage boys down on the bayou in James Bolton"s film "Dream Boy" (USA 2008, 90 minutes), after Jim Grimsley's 1997 novel of the same name. "Dream Boy" was shown in New York last year and receives its Philadelphia premiere, during QFest 2009, on July 11 at 9:30 p.m. at the Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street, and repeated on July 15 at 7 p.m. at the Ritz East, Cinema One, 125 South Second Street.
"Dream Boy" is a gay coming of age story crossed with "Brokeback Mountain," Southern-style, in a unique blend. Young Nathan (Stephen Bender) has his eye on Roy (Max Roeg), the bus driver for Louisiana's St. Patrick's Parish, who is also a senior in his high school, and Roy does not seem to mind Nathan's longing glances. The unlikely pair hits it off, as Nathan says he will help Roy with his English homework and, in return, Roy will help Nathan with his math homework. An algebra problem leads to a brushing of hands and then to sex. Both Bender and Roeg do a great job of showing us how to be young and in love.
Nathan is so thrilled to have a new friend in Roy that he forgets his troubles at home. Soon after Nathan goes out with Roy, Nathan's father, Harland, tries to kill his happiness. Dad (Thomas Jay Ryan) is a churchgoing Christian with a drinking problem, a history of sexually abusing his son, and the cause of Nathan's shyness and awkwardness. Nathan's mom, Vivian is, understandably, tense, anxious, and in need of something to calm her nerves, and Diana Scarwid is superb in this compelling, though not flattering part. Vivian wants her husband to stop making trouble and Scarwid ("Mommie Dearest," "Silkwood") clearly conveys that she has no notion about how to do it.
Roy is one of the cool kids at school and has, as friends, jocks Burke (Randy Wayne) and Randy (Owen Beckman). One day, the foursome goes on a camping trip. His friends don't care for Nathan, but Roy brings him along just the same. They see a plantation that Roy says is haunted and venture to go inside. It is only a matter of time before we see ghost-like figures. Roy finally touches Nathan, only to be found by his friends, who do not like this one bit. As Roy runs out, Nathan, left to the violent devices of Roy's friends, pays the price for young gay love in the Deep South, though the nature of his fate is deliberately left ambiguous, giving the tale an unusual twist.
