Featured image: Murray Bartlett as Troy. Picture courtesy of Iris Prize 2011.
USA – Erap Films (2011)
Three years ago Jonathan (Daniel Dugan) and Troy (Murray Bartlett) were a couple, until Troy moved to Spain and ended their relationship. Now Jonathan is partnered to Raul (Adrian Gonzalez) and things couldn’t be better. One day Troy returns to Los Angeles and back into Jonathan’s life. What starts as an innocent coffee between friends spirals into an intricate game of fragile feelings, fraught patience, and fiery lust in the overbearing heat of a Californian summer.
It’s clear from the outset that 2009 Iris Prize-winning writer and director Eldar Rapaport’s style is undoubtedly striking. He is an expert director, who manages to tease out a captivating aesthetic in the film without it ever feeling inorganic or misplaced. In fact, the direction really drives the feel, look, and pace of the feature perfectly.
But the film doesn’t solely concern itself with looking pretty. Behind its artsy veneer is a well observed story. The narrative finely picks through the emotions, motives, and manipulations of Troy, Jonathan, and Raul as they battle through their awkward love triangle. As characters, they all have a depth and complexity with which the audience can really engage, invoking empathy and distrust in almost equal measure. Rather than using any clear-cut or obvious plot devices, Rapaport and co-writer Brian Sloan create something very realistic, opting to capture a moment rather than weave a narrative.
The film also boasts an excellent lead cast. Dugan portrays conflicted but ultimately naïve and apathetic Jonathan with athletic grace. Gonzalez is fierce as the long-suffering and painfully stoic Raul, and seethes with an intimidating quiet anger. Bartlett is superb as the manipulative, meticulous, yet tormented Troy, bringing astonishing small and subtle embellishments that make his performance absolutely engrossing, winning him Best Actor at this year’s Iris Prize. But as adept as these performers are as individuals, as a trio they’re intoxicating: feeding off the tensions between their characters, extrapolating every sexual frustration, tender moment and vulnerability to visceral and believable effect.
Yet there are a few small weaknesses. Yuval Ron’s music can sometimes jar. The mix of Latin and Middle Eastern influences sometimes contrasts with the slow-burn action just a little too much, distracting from the nuances on screen. Furthermore, the film can feel more like a cinematic still life than an entertainment piece, with a slow but well paced metre. But for those into something intricate and subtle, it won’t drag as much as for those who want a bit more oomph to their film-going experience.
Overall, this is a sterling feature with a level of observation, intricacy and polish that catapults it far beyond being a brilliant piece of LGBT cinema, to being an excellent film in its own right. A firm and deserving choice for Iris Prize 2011’s Best Feature.
August was shown as part of the Iris Prize Festival 2011 which took place in Cardiff 5-8 October 2011. For more information about the film, including news and upcoming screenings, visit www.august-the-film.com. For more information about the Iris Prize, visit www.irisprize.org.
August is available now on DVD from Peccadillo Pictures. Buy it from Amazon UK.
