Departures *****
Starring: Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, David Tag, Liam Boyle, Tyler Conti, Saira Choudhry
Directors: Neil Ely, Lloyd Eyre-Morgan
Producer: Paul Mortlock
Country: UK
UK Release: BFI Flare / MFF
Following his recent breakup, Benji (Eyre-Morgan) is in full self-sabotage mode, hooking up with strangers and drinking himself into oblivion. His ex, Jake (Tag), is the kind of closeted muscle-bound meathead that every gay man fantasises about. But what Benji didn’t bargain for was the baggage that came with him. Refusing to acknowledge either his sexuality or the man he’s sleeping with, Jake has thrown Benji far down the path of self-loathing, making him believe that the toxicity of this relationship was worth it for the pay-off being with such a hunk.
Set in Manchester, this is a fairytale of self-destruction, dunked in northern wit. Benji is frantic in his search for meaning, reflected by some exquisitely frenzied editing and a caustic voiceover that refuses to pull any punches. We do see many moments of tender vulnerability, but as a narrator we see the bravado and his diffident swagger that attracted Jake to him in the first place. Benji is instilled with a deeply human sensitivity, visible despite all his sarcastic bluster, but Departures was also written and co-directed by Eyre-Morgan too, with the film proudly displaying all the hall-marks of a deeply personal passion project from a pair of extremely promising young directors.
While the film strays into some particularly dark places, its biggest strength is its ability laugh at itself. With pithy one-liners and a good drenching of cynicism, there are many laugh-out-loud moments peppered through the story and, call me childish, but scrawling enormous swear words across the screen in response to what we’re watching remains amusing every single time… Maybe it’s the whimsical font that makes it all the funnier.
Once the plot gets the wind in its sails, the film doesn’t lose its comic edge, keeping pace by maintaining its distinctive form. Epileptics might want to avoid its most expressionist moments, but its soundtrack and frenetic editing mean that even at its most conventional moments, it still feels fresh, intriguing and edgy.
David Tag is superb opposite, letting the Hollyoaks hunk off the leash of the watershed, creating a character that we all know we would damage our lives for. Jake is a magnetic lying enigma and the casting of this hyper-masculine beefcake is spot on. Meanwhile, Saira Choudhry might only have ten minutes on screen, but they absolutely light up the film’s final act.
British Queer filmmaking has felt restrained and sedate for a decade now, but this film feels like a Danny Boyle moment, injecting some much-needed dynamism into the genre. It might be an independent self-funded project, but this is grass-roots cinema at its best. Stark, moving, edgy and drole, this is a genuinely exceptional feature debut.
UK Release: premiering at MFF on 15th March 2015. Also screening at the BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival on 23rd and 29th March at BFI Southbank. BFI Flare runs from 19th – 30thMarch https://www.bfi.org.uk/
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