The outside forces in this film happen to be religion and people. The two main characters belong to a church that ostracizes anyone that doesn't fit into their ideal. The people in power in the church, the pastor and parents, arranges for a 'healer' to exorcise their children's queerness.
The film blends together oppression through religion, trauma bonding, and acts of love from different angles. There's one act of love in particular I would like to focus on. Naim's mother, Arlene, is almost a background character in her son's life. She uproots them and moves to a farm and factory town so she can be closer to those sharing in her beliefs. We see her perform small acts of love throughout the film, but most of them come after Naim is essentially exercised. She said that she did it for him because she loves him. She was worried someone else would hurt him, so she hurt him first by trying to fix a piece of him that wasn't broken. She could have just accepted him, she could have just continued to love him like she had the whole time previously. Instead, she tried to have someone rip that part out of him and called it love. I know in her eyes she's not the bad guy, she truly did what she thought was best. It does not change the fact that she traumatized her child because her faith told her it was an act of love.
The pastor is a character that hits close to home. He is a man that puts family and faith above everything. Having a son that doesn't fit the ideal is a shameful act to him. Changing Hunter to fit the ideal was an act of love in his eyes. It never occurred to him that he signed Hunter's death warrant, because if God is good then his family is safe from harm. I think it's also interesting to note that as soon as Hunter dies, he gives up. He can't live with the thought that it was his fault his baby boy died. His son was his pride and joy; never mind the daughter he hardly notices. The same daughter that blames Naim for it all. The daughter that blamed herself when she really should have blamed her father.
We don't really get to explore the relationship between Ryan and his parents. In fact, they seem largely absent only appearing with him in front of their church community. To my memory his parents didn't have a single line in the film. This could help explain why Ryan lacks the shame we see in other characters. His parents were absent, so they never really taught him to be ashamed of being queer. He just exists as himself. That said, he has the common sense to not go telling people about it, but he's not ashamed.
Let's talk about Naim! He is a perfect foil for Ryan. He reeks of shame and fear. He tries to be part of the community that hates him by ratting Ryan and Hunter out. It's clear Ryan is his first love whereas Ryan has had previous relationships. Naim isn't confident in himself as a person, but Ryan is. They are polar opposites and if the roles had been reversed Ryan would have never made the same judgement that Naim did.
A huge chunk of understanding this film comes from understanding the setting. We see a town where you don't know everyone's name, but there's no major grocery store. There's a factory constantly bellowing smoke into the air as shifts change. Cows that hide behind fences, and a suburban town growing old from time. It's no big city; it's a town that can easily be influenced. It's a town where existing out of the norm is dangerous.
I've hardly spoken about the curse that was placed on the boys, but the truth is that's secondary. It's a driving force in the film that makes Ryan and Naim explore their personal feelings and determine how far they would go for each other. It's not the most important piece of the film; the important piece is the relationships between the characters.
My first review of this movie was, "The gays win emotionally but not logistically." At the end of the day, I don't think this film will win any American awards. I doubt it will even be nominated, but I do foresee it being known and treasured by a select few. I will for sure be among them. I'm grateful it was made, and I'm grateful I got to see it in cinemas.
-Lucy
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