In the new film Turtle Hill, Brooklyn named for the New York neighborhood which provides its setting, a young gay couple prepare for a birthday party that become a night of surprises that will expose unexpected truths about this relationship. Booze does that, you know.
“[It’s] the story of a loving relationship challenged by cheating, and everyone can relate to that, but it’s rarely portrayed honestly in film,” director Ryan Gielen tells Queerty. “We want gay audiences to see themselves on screen, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful.”
The film opens at New York’s Quad Cinema today.
Aric
So because I’m gay I am a cheater? Jesus.
Homophile
@Aric:
Yes. That’s exactly what the film is about. Nothing gets past you.
Homophile
Could be good.
Reminds me a lot of the excellent “The Anniversary Party”.
LadyL
@Homophile: LOL
Joetx
From the clip:
Character 1: “I’m a Log Cabin Republican.”
Character 2: “Why?”
No kidding!
Aric
@Homophile: Great, don’t even have to watch this garbage then.
Richard
When I was growing up, every man and woman I knew was cheating on their spouses/girlfriends/boyfriends. So, what’s different. We’re human.
Vegas Tearoom
Who would have thought that Boys in the Band would have been the first in a long line of gay themed Birthday movies. What progress we have made…
ryangielen
@Aric I directed the film, I’m happy to respond to the question of what exactly we’re trying to say with the film. First, you’re wrong in your interpretation, you know you’re wrong, you’re just puking your personal sh*t here in the comments. If you can admit that, you can probably digest this: I’m straight, and my quote was “it’s the story of a relationship challenged by cheating, and everyone can relate to that.” Am I wrong to assume that everyone has been on either the cheater or cheat-ee side of a relationship? Maybe, but I don’t think so. Even if it’s just an emotional affair, I believe 99% of people have been on one side of the equation, to some degree. Life is too long and too big to believe that there are 100% pure, perfect relationships out there, and I don’t think that’s cynical, I think it’s truthful. I think talking about it means it can be overcome, or dealt with. That’s the conversation I wanted to have with the film.
To directly address your statement, the central characters are a gay couple, not because any of us believe that a movie about love and fidelity (or more lazily put, “cheating”) has to have a gay couple at the center of it, but because that’s the particular story the writers and I wanted to tell. It’s a love story, a story of forgiveness following emotional and physical infidelity, and a story of how communication can save or ruin a relationship. If you can’t relate to that- gay or straight- either you haven’t lived very long, or you’re willfully ignoring the realities of life, or you just haven’t given it much thought. Or, maybe you’re in that 1% that has always had and always will have a pure, perfect relationship. In that case, maybe the film has no chance of speaking to you. Maybe. Or, maybe it will challenge you to think a little deeper about life and relationships.
I dunno. What I do know is that you’re out of line in your comments…
B Damion
lol white folks kill me. LMAO…i love y’all though.
augustano.
@ryangielen: Your response just ensured that I will NOT be bothering to watch your film. You sound overblown and you’re not doing us any favors by being straight (thanks for making sure we knew you were heterosexual, btw) and directing a film that’s been done THOUSANDS of times. This story has been done and done again. And yes you are wrong in assuming that everyone has either cheated or been cheated on (or simply hasn’t lived long enough). I haven’t and I’m in my 40s. 99%?! Where did you find this number? Yes, infidelity is a reality but it’s not necessarily everyone’s. It’s an inane and frankly insulting and condescending generalization to say that a relationship has to be absolutely perfect to NOT involve infidelty and that only 1% of these relationships exist! It’s ludicrous and it’s saddening to think of what types of relationships you’ve had to make you look at the world in such a black-and-white manner. Gay relationships, just like straight/bi etc…, can be fraught with issues that are just as damaging or challenging to a relationship, so if you wanted to be so realistic, why not get creative and focus on any number of the myriad of other potential issues. Finances, education, compatibility, family, mental health, annoying habits, outside influence, health problems, drugs, careers….the list is endless!
Sounds like you just wanted to make a quick buck by pandering to what you THOUGHT was a superficial group whose identity was defined solely by their sexuality and all things sexual. You can always get people worked up when you talk about cheating and you will always get polarizing perspectives, so it seems like that’s what you were counting on (You might as well had named it something obvious like “Temptation”). Well, you’re wrong. We’re not all that shallow. We are about a whole lot more than that you know, so why not give us some credit and be more creative in your writing and directing? It is 2013 after all.
augustano.
@ryangielen: Also, your response to Aric was a bit rude and kind of makes you look like a tool.
ryangielen
@augustano.: Given that @Aric called the film garbage, I’m pretty comfortable with my response đ
augustano.
@ryangielen: Doesn’t surprise me. Ever heard of taking the high road? It may have lent you more credibility to just educate him or her.