"Dorian Blues" Surprised Me, Showing that There's Still Life in the Coming-of-age/coming-out Genre

The 2004 independent movie "Dorian Blues" written and direct by Tennyson Bardwell broke no new ground. As in many other gay coming-of-age movies, a sardonic boy, Dorian Lagatos (Michael McMillian) has an overbearing, dogmatic father (Steve Fletcher) who blatantly favors another son, Nicky (Lea Coco) who is a sports star/golden boy. The boys' mother (Mo Quigley( is "out of it," cowed by her husband and not standing up for the unfavored son.

Meanwhile, Dorian is realizing that he is not just "different" in a vague way, but is gay. Even after he is certain and has acted on it, he is terrified of coming out to his father. Luckier than many in earlier generations, he finds a gay therapist who has Dorian practice trying to come out to his father. Dorian's failures are tragicomic. He can too easily imagine the obstacles to acknowledging what he is trying to tell his father.

Dorian is also luckier than many in having a brother who cares about him and looks out for him. Nicky's attempts to help Dorian pass in order to survive the intensely homophobic world of high school verge on slapstick but don't lack punch and wit.

Off at NYU, Dorian has First Love, which, as it usually does, leads to First Heartbreak. Bardwell twists the knife in ways I won't mention. Again, the delicate balance between the pain and the comedy works. This remains true for some conversations with family members late in the movie. Dorian's grew up with snarky comments as his defense from his father and other bullies. This m.o. is less helpful in college/in NYC, so the last third of the movie is not quite as entertaining as the first two-thirds. Dorian's overanalyzing everything can be funny - though Woody Allen has worn down that humor. But I think the down-side of shooting off witty zingers is something many gay men have to deal with. Even I have been accused of being "bratty", "snarky," and even "mean," sweet-tempered and patient though I see myself as being.

So it's not that Bardwell tells a new story. Rather, he tells what might seem familiar stories with fresh wit, helped by Michael McMillian's ingratiating characterization of Dorian - a name that it is inconceivable that father would have given or approved, BTW. Oscar Wilde named his character, Dorian Gray, after the Greek "tribe" some have claimed introduced man-boy sex to the peninsula (and one type of column...)

Nicky is something of a fantasy of a helpful, protective brother (even, as in the family in "Everybody Hates Christ," the bigger and more popular brother is younger). Nicky hires an erotic dancer (Ryan Kelly Berkowitz) to deflower Dorian that leads to a particularly funny encounter (at her apartment). Although I think Nicky is a little too good to be true, I'd venture the opinion that perhaps fraternal support is more likely to be a resource in "ethnic" families, but is not always lacking in Anglo ones. Though I thought that the college part was less witty than the high school part, I enjoyed the whole movie.

The DVD includes a trailer for the movie and for four other TLA DVDs.

This is an American (Delmar and Glenmont, New York locations) port of call on my June gay freedom/pride AC tour.