Poster boy
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Poster boy |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2004 |
| length | 98 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Zak Tucker |
| script |
Ryan Shiraki , Lecia Rosenthal |
| production |
Stanley Buchtal , Rebecca Chaiklin , Dolly Hall , Jeff Campagna |
| music | Mark Garcia |
| camera | Wolfgang hero |
| cut |
Pamela Scott Arnold , Zak Tucker, Trevor Ristow |
| occupation | |
| |
Poster Boy is an American gay film drama from the 2004 and debut feature by director Zak Tucker . It was shown at several gay and lesbian film festivals between 2004 and 2006 before it hit theaters in the US in 2006 .
prehistory
Originally the project was conceived with Herbert Ross as a director and with Billy Crudup in the lead role. The production was interrupted until the director Douglas Keeve wanted to shoot the film as a low-budget production. Shortly after filming began, he gave up and film editor Zak Tucker took over and finished the film.
The political film was released shortly before the 2004 presidential election .
action
The film begins with Henry Kray (Matt Newton) being interviewed by a reporter about the events, which are shown to the viewer in flashbacks. Henry is the son of a powerful, conservative American senator from North Carolina . Senator Kray (Michael Lerner) has received national attention, among other things, for publicly attacking homosexual rights . The senator doesn't know that his son is gay.
The Senator plans to campaign for his re-election over a meal at Henry's College , and Henry is due to give the welcoming speech. Henry's sex life is something of an open secret on his college campus in that the college gay activist group has created a chart of his sex partners. The night before Senator Kray is expected at college, Henry meets Anthony (Jack Noseworthy), a former ACT-UP activist.
On the day of the speech, Anthony is approached by a college gay activist who wants his help with Henry's outing . Anthony and Izzie (Valerie Geffner), a good friend, get into an argument about it and Izzie, who is HIV- positive, runs away. She is hit by the limousine that the Senator and his wife Eunice (Karen Allen) are driving. The senator's company takes her with them and Eunice takes a liking to her. She gives Izzie a dress and invites her to lunch.
Henry also invites Anthony and insists that he sit on the dais next to him. Henry announces his father, who begins his speech. During the speech, Henry suddenly stands up, pulls Anthony up and kisses him in front of the assembled National Press, outing himself before the activists have a chance to do it. In a firestorm of controversy, the senator and his team decide to reinterpret the event in the media and emphasize that the senator loves his gay son despite everything. One of the gay activists congratulates Anthony on Henry's outing and although Henry decided to come out himself, the trust that had only grown slowly between him and Anthony is shattered.
The film ends with Henry summarizing the events afterwards. He and Anthony don't see each other anymore. Izzie died of AIDS . The senator won his re-election despite, or perhaps because of, the controversy.
Reviews
"The film's strident tone also serves to undermine its generally above-average performances."
"The shrill tone of the film also ensures that the overall above-average performance is undermined."
Awards
- Outfest : Grand Jury Award Best Screenwriting for Ryan Shiraki and Lecia Rosenthal (winner)
- Locarno International Film Festival : nomination for the Golden Leopard for Zak Tucker
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b TVGuide.com: Poster Boy: Review
- ↑ Starpulse.com: Poster Boy Movie Review
Web links
- www.posterboy-themovie.com Page about the film
- Poster Boy in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Poster Boy at Rotten Tomatoes (UK)