Dream Boy

Plot synopsis:
Fifteen-year-old Nathan Davies (Stephan Bender) moves to St. Francisville, Louisiana, a small Southern town with his parents (Thomas Jay Ryan and Diana Scarwid) and starts to befriend the older boy next door, Roy (Maximillian Roeg), fellow high school student and bus driver, who is in a relationship with Evelyn (Rooney Mara). Nathan and Roy start to develop their relationship by helping each other with school work at Nathan's house. While Roy is teaching Nathan how to solve an Algebra problem, Nathan touches his hand. Roy pulls away at first, but then takes hold of Nathan's hand.
After they finish their work, the boys go for a walk in the woods, finding an old cemetery, where they stop and start kissing. They undress down to everything but socks and underwear, and lay in an embrace together. The relationship between Nathan and his father is revealed to be a little strange and full of tension. One morning Roy pulls the bus into a part in the woods and they kiss and Nathan touches Roy. Roy asks if Nathan has ever done this with anyone before, and he promises he never has. Roy takes Nathan swimming with Burke and Randy, but Nathan admits he can't swim. While watching Roy, Burke threatens to throw him in the water, but Roy stops him. While Roy is driving them home, he pulls onto the side of the road and they start kissing. When Nathan starts to have sex with Roy, Roy angrily stops him, asking "who taught [him] to screw like that". Nathan swears "no one".
When Nathan gets home that night, his father wants to know if he had a good time. Nathan is on the brink of tears as he answers his father. He ties a string up to his dresser drawer and bedpost, tucks his pillows under his sheets, and moves to the floor to sleep. In the night he hears a thud and runs from his room, because it was his father sneaking in. It is later revealed that his father had touched him in the past inappropriately. Nathan sleeps outside and doesn't come home. He does for meals but returns to his tree outside after.
Roy finds him and offers him a place to sleep in his family's barn. The next morning, Nathan goes home for breakfast and his father catches him, yelling at him to not run from him, but Nathan's mother interrupts and he runs to the school bus. Later, Roy tells Nathan they're going camping with Burke and Randy that weekend. That night, Roy tells ghost stories around the campfire, and in their tent, Nathan gives Roy a blowjob, and Roy asks him if he minds when Roy doesn't do those things back to him, and Nathan says he doesn't mind. Hiking through the woods, the boys find an old plantation house. They go inside to investigate, and Nathan hears a voice call his name, resembling his father's. They then find cloth with what looks like to be blood on it, and they smell sulfur (which Nathan says is the smell of the Devil), and the boys see a shadow move up the stairs.
Burke takes the flashlight from Roy and goes to investigate with Randy. Roy and Nathan go into a bedroom and talk, and Nathan says he feels as if he'll never leave that house. He hears the voice again and Roy goes to see if the guys are back. Nathan sees his father and closes his eyes tight, when Roy enters the room again. He tells Nathan not to look at whatever he's seeing anymore and kisses him. Roy gets down on his knees and proceeds to fellate Nathan, when Burke and Randy find them. Roy storms out of the room, and Nathan hears the voice again, and is suddenly knocked unconscious. A shadow of a person carries him up the stairs.
In the attic, Burke rapes Nathan, and realizing what he's done, disgusted with himself, he breaks an arm off a rocking chair and knocks Nathan over the head with it. Blood starts pooling on the floor beneath his head and he leaves Nathan in the attic. When Roy and Randy find him early the next morning, he appears to be dead. Roy tells Randy to go on and find Burke, whom he says he doesn't believe at this point about what happened. Roy cries once Randy leaves, then Roy leaves too. The police arrive, bringing Nathan's father who tearfully covers Nathan's face with a blanket.
Nathan awakens from a coma, or resurrected if he died, gets up and leaves the plantation house. He wanders for a long time still dazed from the blow to his head. Finally he sees Roy coming out of Sunday evening church, but Roy is with his family, so Nathan wanders around some more waiting for Roy to get home. Nathan's mother leaves his father, and Nathan, his head now clear finds Roy crying in the barn where Nathan slept while hiding from his father. As Roy looks up, he sees Nathan and hugs him.
At the end of the story, Roy is driving the bus and looks in the mirror to an empty seat, but when he looks a second time, Nathan is there smiling at him.
The movie departs from the novel and leaves the impression that Nathan is truly dead, and that the previous scenes were a wishful dream sequence of one of the two boy lovers, presumably Roy. In the book this scene does not take place. The book has the boys meeting in the yard of Roy's church, running together into the woods to talk things over, then and deciding to run away together since Roy has been seen sucking Nathan by both Burke and Randy, and both boys will surely will be outed to their families and the whole community. The book ends with: "They hear the voices of people searching for them in the woods. They stand and go. They never look back."

Tags: horror, murder, storytelling

Review:
Half way through things about Nathan become clearer--and more disturbing--and the movie gets dark.I read the book years ago and loved it but I hated the ending cause it's so ambiguous.
I bought this movie cautiously because I didn't think it could be as good as the book and I was curious HOW they would end it.
Bender and Roeg perfectly play two teenage boys in love--you can see the confusion and passion in their faces.
Like I said I hated that ending but I'm glad the movie didn't change it.
The two actors Stephan Bender and Maximillian Roeg that play the teenage boys are outstanding and should have very fruitful careers after this film.
The singer Rickie Lee Jones plays the other boys mother and in a small part creates a memorable and touching character.Don't want to give too much away about the plot but the center of the story is about two teenage boys.
In "Dream Boy," the mood is both melancholy and sweet and there is a constant, if not always apparent, hint of anxiety and apprehension that builds throughout the movie.
While the acting of the supporting cast in "Dream Boy" can be somewhat inconsistent, the acting of the two main characters, Roy (Max Roeg) and Nathan (Stephan Bender), is very strong.
I was particularly impressed with Bender whose performance reminds me of Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious." While it is true that the awkward, inarticulate teenager is well-trod territory in gay cinema, I've never seen the role acted so flawlessly.
I've read some criticism that Bender's performance was "wooden," and it strikes me that if you were not an awkward, inarticulate teenager you might not be able to identify with the performance, but if you were the kind of kid who stayed inside most of the day you will probably find the portrayal of your former self incredibly accurate and moving.There is a lot of attention paid to subtle, non-verbal forms of communication - glances, stares, half-smiles, physical contact - all of which create a much more realistic depiction of young, gay love than the more chatty gay coming-of-age movies that I'm used to seeing.
I was especially impressed with the performances of Stephan Bender as Nathan and Max Roeg as Roy. While I had no idea what the exact outcome of the film would be, there is a "foreboding" that overshadows the entire story; You get clues along the way that "something is wrong." But the final 20 minutes or so will probably really surprise you.
Exchanges of glances and the growth of mutual attraction between the boys lead to a very private but sincere physical relationship: Nathan does not share with Roy that he has suffered sexual abuse from his father.
What happens in this mysterious place provides the climax of the story - a brutal surprise ending that then transports the film into another dimension - a region the viewer must decide is satisfying or not.
There are some fine moments in this little low budget movie and the presence of Maximillian Roeg, Diana Scarwid, and Randy Wayne lifts the cast to a higher level of competence.
Bolton does have a fine touch with stories about the coming out of young men in his films and his ability to capture the Gothic atmosphere of the South is solid.
There is no chemistry portrayed here and although the leads are cute and the situations realistic, for the most part (teenagers take every moment for personal connections no matter how inappropriate or imprudent they may be) we are left with a coming-of-age story that while sweet and tender against all apparent odds is betrayed by a thin-as-paper, muddled plot that is formulaic and unsatisfying.
There are so many things wrong with this film it is hard to know where to begin, but I shall start with the poor excuse for a script, at first it was difficult to decide whether it was the acting that was bad or the script, and then after about half an hour I realised it was both.
Persevering in the hope that it would improve, I proceeded to waste another hour watching this poor excuse for a film, the sad part is it had the potential to be good, if only the script had done something other than hint at the issues it was attempting to deal with, barely scratching the surface of what in reality is a very serious issue.
The awkward acting (Stephen Bender) portraying an awkward, and mostly cringe worthy portrayal of a teen struggling with not only his sexuality but his horrendous home life, to be fair it isn't his fault though, the weak writing left him little to work with, and very little dialogue, other then the odd feeble response to a question, and fain glance here and there at his co-stars there really was not a lot he could do.
The depth of characters were about as deep as that which you would find in an episode of the hills, by the end of the film, other than the shoddy, and sloppy scene depicting his father attempting to abuse him we knew nothing about these characters as individuals, much less how they came to have such an 'intense' relationship, how they went from riding the school bus with each other to pulling each others clothes off in a grave yard is a mystery I think even Sherlock himself would struggle to fathom, yet we were supposed to believe in this relationship and it's struggles and somehow the emotional turmoil he was going through at the same time.
but to add in a rape scene for shock value seemed, vulgar, pathetic and illustrated just how poor the writing of this movie was, the fact that once he was dead his eyes moved several times as his co star was supposed to be sat mourning his loss was almost laughable.
I enjoyed the atmospheric, thoughtful and sensitive slow pace of this movie, but the dialog in important parts, and especially during the climax, was drowned out by some of the worst, most inappropriate, extremely annoying, repetitive, cloying and very loud music I've ever heard in a movie soundtrack.The dialog volume should have been turned up and the music _way_ down in this movie, and absent altogether in parts where the dialog was of utmost importance for revealing the plot.
I almost stopped watching this movie, despite liking the story and characters, specifically because of the awful "background" music that was much too often in the close foreground.
I can't help but think of "The Mudge Boy" (and "Fishbelly White") which also starts out with a lot of potential but the writer puts in a story arch that ruins the tale and turns what could be a good experience into a downer.The two lead actors were very good in their roles and the photography is lovely.
If it's a tender love story you want, don't watch the second half of this film.
The film is based on a novel which I haven't read but if the stories are the same, neither should be called "Dream Boy.".
The lack of talking would have been better if the acting was better, I just found the acting to be incredibly awkward.The second half of the movie left me thinking to myself, 'What just happened?' But not in a good way.
I was thoroughly enjoying this film, with its talented and attractive two leads, the evocative setting, and a decently realistic premise.Then came the final act.What happens in the ending is both poorly written and a waste of a potentially fantastic film.
In a story that felt so natural and real, the entire third act comes seemingly out of nowhere in effort to force the characters into a specific type of ending.
An ending which, though I would have preferred otherwise, could have been achieved much more organically with story pieces already in place (the father) instead of driving an underdeveloped secondary character into an unjustifiable decision, and forcing a main character to passively accept their fate with no fight.Awful.
Glass Menagerie meets Stand by Me. Unfortunately, just before I watched this movie, I read a review here stating that the story was based on a "thin-as-paper, muddled plot." With that in mind and the somewhat awkward, uncomfortable interactions between the actors at the start, I almost gave it up.
In fact, many of us are drawn to films like this because reliving some of those common experiences, distressing as they may have been when we were young, now contribute to a comforting feeling of connection to others.The distant, confused, tender-brutal, hateful-loving relationship between father and son, I suspect, drove a great deal of this story although it wasn't the central focus.
And the ending seems to make this just too "cutesy" and negates the entire horror/ghost story direction (it's almost as if the writer got stuck and didn't know where to go and wanted to end on some "feel good" note...just lazy).
Does Ray realize his blow-job has cost his lover Nathan his life as well as make his straight buddy a raping murderer ?Do we assume it's Nathan's ghost that haunts Roy in the final sequence or that everything is back to normal and nothing actually happened ?It all gets a bit Twin-Peaks at best with a big emphasis on the subject of being haunted, very muddled and confused and unbelievable for everybody else.That's a shame as it had a thing going for it for the first 3/4s of the movie..
This, of course, goes to all lengths, it can create hierarchies (for example, who penetrates who in jail), it can serve as an excuse for gay intercourse while maintaining a heterosexual façade, etc.Throughout the film problems are avoided as long as Roy remains in his active position.
Or perhaps the film simply imbricates the repercussions of real death versus the significance and emotional strength involved in symbolic death."Dream Boy" has a very sad and touching end.
I was expecting a cute gay love story, but it felt more like a disturbing version of Twilight.
Exactly what drove his father to get drunk all the time and for his mother to give away all sense of control away was unclear to me.Also, why they would perform gay sex acts in a tent next to the other boys or randomly in an abandoned house where there was clearly imminent danger to them being caught was confusing to me.
How could homophobia be so present yet the characters give no indication of their fear of being caught?The overall tone of the movie revolves around the two boys' pent up love for each other and the ensuing emotional tension.
I watched this entire film with the hope that it would turn around and get better, but honestly it just ended in utter tragedy with not much resolve.
Unfortunately, in act four the plot takes a turn for the worse, morphs into southern Gothic supernatural thriller, and enacts classic homophobia: gay love can't be show without being punished horribly, in this case with rape and murder.
Topping this off with a ghostly eternal love ending is the kind of red dye number 2 maraschino cherry only a teen could possibly swallow -- and it still wouldn't be good for him.I encourage those video savants out there to edit this down to a festive mix of the romance, love, and bootie scenes, preferably as background for parties and gay bars..
To me it's nothing more and nothing less than the usual typical gay-themed book or film where the gay character has to die in the end.
Yes, obviously real life isn't all gumdrops and rainbows but regardless of the author's intentions, did the world really need to see a movie where this kid gets brutally raped and murdered?
Personally I think not.In any event, I had no intention of ever watching this movie, having read the book and strongly disliking it as I mentioned above.
Unfortunately that's not the case at all, but in fact if you watch the first 2/3 of the movie and then just shut it off, it's a really beautiful love story and you can pretend that the 2 boys live happily ever after..
It wasn't exactly a masterpiece, having some issues, but it's unexpectedly warm and tender moments,the acting (especially Max Roeg) and the soundtrack (why so many people find it annoying is beyond me..) made it worth watching.
I think it's major issue was the ending and most of the movies second part.
While in the book, there was a subtle mix between reality and dream, the movie failed at this point, giving us just something confusing instead of something dreamlike.
The rest of the the movie was very well crafted, managing to depict the fragile love of the two boys, that seems almost unreal.
I loved the fact that teenage love was depicted (both in the novel and the movie) exactly the way it is: clumsy, awkward but of incredible depth and intensity.
Although there are some (love) scenes in the novel which weren't included in the movie (and they would have added so much to it!)they were able to portray the aching tenderness and profound love that the boys developed for each other.
The only objection I have regarding the love scenes is that maybe Nathan's character could have been a bit less shy-there were moments when it looked like Nathan was rather obeying the infatuated Roy and not reciprocating his feelings.Both actors did a good job, although it was Max Roeg that I liked the most.
He made the character look very real, a handsome and popular farm boy leading a normal life,whose world is suddenly turned upside down by the feelings he has for his shy schoolmate,feelings he cannot identify at first.All in all, it's a movie that worth a watch,not as good as the book though.
It's complex and subtle, but lacks the eeriness and dreamlike atmosphere of the novel, the mix between a touching love story and a Gothic horror tale.
I definitely recommend both the movie and Jim Grimsley's novel - it's a haunting story of first love, that will definitely haunt you for a while..
There is no chemistry between the boys (watch how they always fail to engage their kisses, but when Roy kisses - and just once - the girl, the straight element of the actor, to put it that way, seeps through).
When all such stories need a proper mood for anything in them to happen, and when we have in the film no mood at all, just amateurish, half-engaged and ill-conceived stabs at it, tell me where you think it will head to.Too bad, because it has Maximillian Roeg in it, who has something of his mother's, Theresa Russell, off-kilter beauty.
A Tragic Love Story about Two Gay Teenagers.
The movie deals with extremely dark subject matter so to call this film a 'love story' is a major stretch.
This film leaves you feeling empty and disturbed which i almost respect because in reality bad things happen to people and there is little happiness in certain situations.
I really loved this movie and thought that it was quite heart felt and beautiful.
If this was a multi-million dollar budget movie then I feel that some of that extra potential could have been reached but since there was so little of a budget, I feel that this movie is excellent.I watch a lot of Gay dramas and have to say that this one is uniquely different which is what gave it a lot of appeal to me and I'm looking forward to reading the book..
As I was watching the movie I was getting a better feeling than reading the book, I feel there should have been more on the interactions with the father, and the music was kind of annoying, But as a whole it was turning out to be a decent film...Until the "director" tried to be all artsy and suspenseful and ruined the climax ending.
The only person that really looked out of place was the kid playing Roy. That's only because he was shorter than the other cast of boys.
I think Randy Wayne (who plays Burke in the movie) would have been a better choice for the character Roy. This movie would have been so much better had the "director" focused more on the darker side of things, and knew just a little about using music in scenes..
As far as gay themed movies go, for the most part this is a beautiful and endearing love story handled with tenderness and all together quite amazingly done.
This movie could have could have taken this theme and launched into being one of the best gay films of the decade.
Some kind of self loathing from a writer director who needs to justify making a gay themed filmed?
Needed more depth, but otherwise, a good love story..
Of course, I believe Nathan Davies (Stephen Bender), our protagonist of the film, was a bit too awkward at the start of the movie, although maybe in his situation (a molested teenager in a secret relationship with his boy-next-door classmate) his overly awkwardness is justified.Maximilian Roeg did a good job playing Roy, although the audience may get mix feelings about the boy-next-door throughout the film because of his quick brutality and also his soft spot for Nathan.
Finally, the ending becomes a bit confusing, what with a ghostly apparition of Nathan's father, a creepy plantation seemingly just thrown into the movie to spice things up, quick short clips of Nathan being raped, and then the funeral.
An innocent boy lost his childhood and his life to molestation and finally rape, all because people couldn't accept the relationship between Roy and Nathan, as well as stand up against Nathan's father.
For these reasons, as well as the fact that the relationship between Nathan and Roy was overly quick, and the way the parents seemed underdeveloped, I give this movie 6 stars.