OUTFEST REVIEWS

August Mixes Sexual Heat With The Cold Burn Of Romance

AUGUST – Trailer from Eldar Rapaport on Vimeo.

Queerty’s Outfest coverage continues with a look at August a sensuous drama about a summertime affair that could send the love lives of three men down in flames. You can also catch the film Sunday, July 10th at 9:45 PM at LA’s Director’s Guild of America.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?: When Troy (Murray Bartlett) moves back to LA after many years in Barcelona he finds that his ex-boyfriend Jonathan (Daniel Dugan) has begun dating Raul (Adrian Gonzales), a handsome South American immigrant. Jonathan has helped Raul stay in America, but when Raul senses the sexual tension between the exes, temperatures rise between the three men in LA’s stultifying summer heat.

IS IT ANY GOOD?: The steamy sex scenes accompanied with a Middle-Eastern musical soundtrack will definitely leave you hot and bothered, but the film avoids cliche moralizing about cheating by concentrating on how timing and desire blur idealistic preconceptions about love. It’s especially interesting to see how Raul and Troy communicate to one another through Jonathan, who stays torn between their influence. Overall, writer/director Eldar Rapaport’s beautifully shot film concentrates on interpersonal dynamics with a intimate hand-held style focused on touch and body language.

RATING: Three out of five hookahs – While a lot of other gay films have featured love triangles and the trope of the “mythical-ex-returns,” August stands out for its realistic portrayals of love, need, and desire of all sorts. It’s a positive cinematic step that uses sex and attraction not just to titillate gay audiences, but to delve deeper into each character.

It’s a long, hot season, so make sure to check out Los Angeles’ other cool summer events too!

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