Movie Review

Western drama National Anthem a coming-of-age tale for LGBTQ community

Eve Lindley and Charlie Plummer in National Anthem.

Photo courtesy of LDEntertainment

Coming-of-age films are a tried-and-true genre, as everyone can relate to the joys, heartbreaks, and difficulties that come when you’re young. What’s mostly been missing from the cinematic landscape are coming-of-age films focused on the LGBTQ community, although that has started to change in recent years. The newest addition to that segment is the affecting Western-set film, National Anthem.

Dylan (Charlie Plummer) is a 21-year-old with no big prospects. He lives at home with his mom Fiona (Robyn Lively) and younger brother Cassidy (Joey DeLeon), and earns money by picking up day jobs alongside migrant workers in New Mexico. One such job takes him to a ranch owned by Pepe (Rene Rosado), dubbed “House of Splendor,” where Dylan encounters a group of people who appear to encompass much of the LGBTQ spectrum.

He soon discovers that the ranch is a haven for the members of the group, a place they can live and be free from the worries and judgments that come in the wider world. Dylan is especially taken by Sky (Eve Lindley), who – despite being in a relationship with Pepe – openly flirts with Dylan throughout the film. Dylan finds himself enthralled by everything the ranch has to offer – community, love, sexual and gender fluidity, and more.

Directed by Luke Gilford, and written by Gilford, Kevin Best, and David Largman Murray, the film is a beautiful, hopeful, and often sensual journey for its characters. As the story is told almost entirely through the eyes of Dylan, it’s next to impossible not to be drawn to everything that he’s experiencing. Although the film doesn’t go deep into Dylan’s life struggles, it does enough for the audience to understand that the ranch is a much-needed escape for him.

As for those living at the ranch, it’s the vibe more than anything else that makes them engaging. We never get to know any of them very well, even Sky, who is almost like a fantasy for Dylan. But the comfort they feel being around like-minded people is palpable, an idea that is explored through supporting character Carrie (Mason Alexander Park). Even though whatever Dylan’s sexual identity was prior to coming to the ranch is not part of the film, it’s clear that he too highly enjoys being part of this particular group, with little acclimation needed.

The film mostly acts to counteract the heavily-masculine and heterosexual ideas that have pervaded most Western-themed films. Gilford returns multiple times to rodeos put on by the International Gay Rodeo Association, which allows the LGBTQ community to participate in or watch the sport with no fear of exclusion. There’s even a drag queen scene at which – gasp! – Dylan's brother is in the audience, acting almost like a middle finger to those who think such a thing is harmful to children.

Plummer has been a low-key star for a while now, leading indie films like Lean On Pete, Gully, and Words on Bathroom Walls. Although never the most expressive actor out there, he exudes a personality that is appealing in its understated nature. Lindley is a luminous presence in the film, from her cheerful demeanor to the way she is filmed to accentuate her physical traits. Special note should go to Park, who keeps the story grounded with their open and real performance.

National Anthem is a film with several different messages, none more important than that everyone should have a safe space to call their own. Although the story is idyllic at times, it has a magnetic charm thanks to Plummer and Lindley, and the beauty of the country in which the film takes place.

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National Anthem is now playing in select theaters.

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Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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