Holding Trevor tells the story of Trevor, a young gay guy, who is lost and has no direction in life. His best friend and ex lover, Darrell, is a junkie, who he loves. Despite meeting Ephram, the man of his dreams, he is still missing a purpose. He is supported in his journey by his bitchy gay friend, Jake, and fag hag, Andie.
I have wanted to see this film for a couple of years, partly because of it being a gay indie classic, and partly because of Jay Brannan (Jake). Jay plays Jake in much the same manner as Ceth in Shortbus - funny and slightly bitchy. I have wondered whether it would be good to see him do something different, but I think this type of character reflects him and this is what he does best.
Holding Trevor is a better representative of gay indie cinema. In no way it is perfect, some of the shots are amateur and, at points, the acting can be slightly wooden. However, this type of film will never be made in Hollywood so it is a compromise for such a themed film to be made. Saying that, the dialogue is very natural and reflects typical conversations a gay man would normally have - witty one liners and subtle put downs.
Trevor does become too self involved at times and there is an element not wanting him to be happy, reflected very well with the 'perfect' doctor Ephram. However, the voice overs are a little self indulgent and it gets very Dawson's Creek at times. Despite this, he represents a lot how some gay men feel about life.
His relationship with his friends is pivotal in the film and Andie in particular is very good. The sub plot of her finding out she is HIV positive was very realistic. Her relationship with Trevor demonstrates that you do not have to be related in order to be family.
Although this film will never be Oscar winning, I think it is, despite its flaws, a little gem amongst the many poor titles within its genre. I knew it would not live up to my high expectations, but it is still essentail viewing for any gay man.
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