Wow! There are some CRABBY people watching Queer films on NetFlix! Whew! Maybe it is because I lived in Los Angeles back in the seventies, when we did not HAVE any protections, sympathizers, supporters, etc. So, to me, this movie is profound in that, here we are, forty years later, and the SAME issues of persecution, self hatred, condemnation and electroshock are still in the conversation! Yes, you should probably know a bit about Mormons to really appreciate what that kid is giving up. I also liked that the Mormon is not portrayed (in fact, none of the missionaries are) as some backwoods, awe shucks, naive doofus. In fact, our hero is actually thoughtful, articulate, meditative, funny, philosophical, tender, tough. He walks in to this with eyes wide open; he knows the consequences and he is true to himself. Mr. Superficiality is not a factor of being Gay as much as it is of being a wanna be artiste in Los Angeles, waiting tables. I'm sorry boys so young still act so silly in this day and age. I had hoped we might evolve beyond that by now. Something nobody has mentioned: this film has a wonderful sound track. I did not look up artists, etc. I am just telling you what my ear heard. I liked these people, except broke arm mormon (get it?), who was an intentional arse hole. Technical question: is that filmed in an old mansion, used to be pink, converted to apartments, down on 4th street in Santa Monica? I used to stay there with a friend who rented the gardener shack. Made me home sick. I liked it, but then, I am an old woman who still remembers when kissing a person of the same gender in Los Angeles County was cause for lewd conduct arrests. The boys were pretty. The girls were, too. Fun dialogue: dots and peeps. I was eating peeps while I watched, by coincidence.
