The Gays (2014) Review - The family that gays together stays together

15.10.2014 um 11:12

The Gays, directed by T.S. Slaughter and starring Chris Tanner (Bob Gay-Paris) and Frank Holliday (Rob Gay), is about the nuclear gay family, their interactions with each other and the complex dilemma of their existence. I say dilemma because the members of the gay household are in constant pressure to fulfill their own meaningful paths and simultaneously avoid complicating the lives of others around them. While The Gays is dark comedy, the issues that Slaughter investigates are nothing close to a comedic expression. At first glance, T.S. Slaughter throws a series of random images, sequences blended to one another following the narrative of one of the two sons raised by the gay parents Bob (transvestite) and Rob Gay. The very idea of seeing miniature dildos and chains dangling above a baby’s crib shocked me, in fact, I was repulsed. At the beginning, I thought the film was overtly standing apart from the rest of the typical gay dramas (Brokeback Mountain [2005], A Single Man [2009]) and it was doing so brilliantly. A Single Man (2009) was an exquisitely artistic film that explored the sensuality and the colorful expressions of arousal, but it failed to adequately assess the true societal tragedy encompassing George’s (Colin Firth) world. In a sense, films like Brokeback Mountain and A Single Man focus on the micro-tendencies of gay relationships, i.e. the single or mutual exchange of interactions between at least two people. The Gays is focused more on the macro-tendencies of “gay culture”, the expulsion of the ideal nuclear family, and attempts to redefine the ideas about gay families and how they raise their children—the focus isn’t just on The Gays, but about every gay family.

If the characters weren’t so overt, it would appear like a documentary. Some angles appear as though Slaughter deployed hidden cameras, others with a shaky camera and odd angles that give a distinct realism and a sharp documentarian edge to the humor. Sequences are filmed erratically to keep your focus and the language is vulgar to amplify the film’s dark comedy and satire.

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