Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a rewatch.
The Bold: L.I.E.
Actor Paul Dano made an auspicious leading man debut in this overlooked 2001 drama. In L.I.E., Dano plays Howie, a 15-year-old boy living in the suburbs of New York, recovering from the sudden death of his mother. His dad already has a new girlfriend only a month later, leaving Howie to fend for himself. Howie develops a friendship–and a sexual attraction–with Gary (Billy Kay), a gay hustler who leads him into a life of mischief, robbing neighborhood homes. One night the boys decide to rob the home of Big John (Brian Cox), one of Howie’s frequent Johns. When Big John catches the pair, he offers a sexual relationship with Howie in exchange for not going to the police.
More than that we’ll not reveal here, as L.I.E. has a rare form of dramatic tension and plot twists. That said, the movie isn’t for the faint of heart. The film’s subject matter–an ephebophile preying on young gay or questioning teens–would spark controversy in and of itself. But L.I.E. doesn’t stop there. Instead, it paints Big John as a somewhat sympathetic character: wrong, yes, but not cruel. He seeks a kind of friendship with Howie, one that would include a nurturing mentorship as much as sex. The film doesn’t excuse Big John’s behavior; in fact, the character seems more than aware that his compulsion is dangerous to the young men he meets. L.I.E. does something totally bold: it paints its character as a conflicted man.
Moreover, the film has the good sense to realize that teen hustling doesn’t “make” people grow up to be queer; rather, abusers have singled out LGBTQ-leaning kids for centuries as their targets, maybe because gay kids often don’t have the means to explore their sexuality, must live on the fringes, and because the stigma surrounding it makes them less likely to out their predator. Considering that statement is still a sobering one 20 years after the film’s release says a lot, both about the state of our culture, and about the movie’s audacity.
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Brian Cox gives one of the bravest performances in all cinema history in the film, making Big John into a complex, and, at times, even likable man. Dano, in his first leading role, matches him every step of the way, and hints at the bravura performances he would later give in films such as There Will Be Blood. L.I.E. debuted at Sundance back at the height of the festival’s artistic daring.
With Sundance in virtual mode this weekend, we suggest this captivating, dangerous, enigmatic film for a weekend screening.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube & iTunes.
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underboy
fantastic movie. brian cox is so good in this.
8millionandcounting
Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan has always been a creepy song. I assumed back when I heard it being played in my pothead/quaalude popping brothers room, I was 12 years old, it was about drugs because of how spooky and trippy it was.
mrbaze
Great film, not widely seen and under appreciated I think. Paul Franklin Dano was spectacular in a tough role. He was in my Austin pub years later, watching a band after filming There Will Be Blood out in Marfa and I said hello, and told him how much I had enjoyed his work in L.I.E. and the film itself. “Wow. I thought you were going to say something about ‘Sunshine’ L.I.E. was a while ago. I don’t even think my family saw that one, thanks”
iminheatlikeacat
I had this film on video(!) but can’t remember anything about it. Maybe time for a rewatch
SeanF
Perfect! A new word I can start casually dropping around:
Ephebophile
Den
It is actually what most of the people the media and other folks refer to as pedophiles actually are. Ephebophiles like to prey on those either in the midst of or just past puberty. And they are generally either homosexual or heterosexual.
Pedophiles like their prey to be far from entering puberty, and often do not care if they are male or female. I find this to be considerably more upsetting and nasty. One must be truly damaged/sick to find sexual attraction in children who are completely non-sexual!
DennisMpls
I saw L.I.E. many years ago, and my reaction was exactly the same as the reviewer. I don’t get shocked by any sexual themes in movies, but I recognized how shocking this could be to many, and was really surprised it didn’t instantly generate massive outrage.
As Reddish says, Cox did a terrific job of making his character somewhat likable and sympathetic while preying on a minor. I was rather amazed that a relatively “mainstream” movie (I saw it on cable at the time) would even attempt such a thing.
I’ll have to watch it again to see if my evolution of the past 20 years changes my reaction at all.
barryaksarben
It was a very good movie and Brain COX gave an oscar worthy performance. He has this great line to his aging boy who has gotten to old for him “your hair got so dark” it was so touching about his awareness of his own attractions
ShiningSex
the film was a bore
Fahd
I think this review is mixing up characters, I don’t think it was Howie who was the hustler, but Howie’s friend (Howie wishes he were his boyfriend), the guy who leaves for California. Howie plays the “rich” kid who gets involved with bad friends and then thinks he’s been abandoned when his father gets arrested (what, no bail back then?). Howie nearly, but doesn’t wind up giving the chicken hawk what he wants. It’s not really a movie about hustlers and a John, but rather about a teenager who loses his parents and then despite the despair seems to avoid falling into a lot of traps. Btw, most people think Bryan Singer is a bad guy for his alleged behavior. Howie was 15 in this movie, but the chickenhawk in this movie is an “interesting character”? So much ambivalence.
Preppy1000
Saw it in 2001. It was OK nothing more but Brian Cox was excellent. The NC-17 rating scared a lot of people away.
RidgeRunner269
At 76 years-young, I consider “Long Island Expressway (LIE)” the best movie I’ve seen on young men and homosexuality with the Americanized ancient Greek concept of male love, lust, and sex.
Gourmet Guy
I really love L.I.E., and I’ve watched it on DVD at least a dozen times over the years. It’s very well-written (a must for any good movie), and the acting is absolutely flawless. The characters are all three-dimensional (another must), and while the denouement is a bit too sudden, the movie stands the test of time. I realize that a number of people would object to various aspects of this movie, but too bad for them! I’ll watch it again soon. It seems to change every time I see it.