Culture Watch: Departures
Lloyd Eyre-Morgan's wryly comedic exploration of the sexual allure of toxic masculinity.
Filmmaker Lloyd Eyre-Morgan draws on personal trauma for Departures - a wryly comedic exploration of the sexual allure of toxic masculinity.
With a non-linear narrative that progressively paints the picture of what's gone on between these characters, the story of Departures revolves around Benji (Eyre-Morgan). A chance meeting in an airport bar brings Benji into the orbit of Jake (David Tag) - he's masculine, fit, and emotionally unavailable. Despite all of the red flags, Benji falls for Jake hard.
This is a watchable, engaging film that tackles some unflinchingly challenging behaviours and situations and finds a dark humour in human frailty and the mistakes we make in our search for intimacy.
What's particularly compelling about the way that Eyre-Morgan constructs this film is that he gives us sufficient backstory on the characters so that we've got empathy and understanding of what's playing out on screen, without sugar-coating or trying to excuse the toxic behaviour that's manifesting.
As an audience, this is satisfying storytelling although it's difficult to know what to take away from Benji's story. Hurt people hurt people? It's not exactly painting a very rosy picture of gay men but it feels authentic and real and contemporary. Plus there's some laughs and it finishes with a musical number.
That's a good gay film.
Departures is featured as part of the BFI Flare film festival in London
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