AUGUST (2011)

Murray Bartlett stars in queer filmmaker Eldar Rapaport’s 2011 drama AUGUST.

Today’s post was written by author/critic Gary Kramer (@garyemkramer on Instagram) - Be sure to follow his Instagram account for fantastic reviews, as well as information on new queer film releases!

AUGUST

2011. USA.

 Director: Eldar Rapaport

Screenplay: Eldar Rapaport

Story: Eldar Rapaport & Brian Sloan

 Starring: Murray Bartlett, Daniel Dugan, Adrian Gonzales & Hillary Banks

A sexy little film about the perils and pleasures of reuniting with one’s ex, AUGUST has Troy (Bartlett) returning to L.A. from Spain. He reconnects with Jonathan (Dugan) at a café. Catching up, Jonathan has quit smoking, and has a smoking hot boyfriend, Raul (Adrian Gonzalez). But that doesn’t stop Troy from seducing him. The two exes meet up to make out, and make excuses to spend time together. Raul, who is married to Jonathan’s friend Nina (Hillary Banks) for immigration reasons, says he does not mind, but does he? And will this love triangle turn into a threesome?

Writer director Eldar Rapaport astutely addresses issues of timing in relationships, telling this story from a prismatic approach, using overlapping time frames and different points of view. The effect is as magnetic as the characters. Bartlett is pretty irresistible as Troy, and Dugan makes Jonathan a very pliable co-conspirator. AUGUST eventually gets at the heart of sex with an ex, and yet, even if this is a bad idea, there’s still something alluring about it.

You can find AUGUST streaming for rent/purchase from Wolfe Video through Vimeo, it’s also available on DVD.