Review of Latter Days (2004) by David U — 22 Feb 2007

[font=Trebuchet MS][i]Latter Days[/i] does have an unfortunate tendancy throughout to lapse into trite, cliched dialogue or expository monologues, but I think it's quite important with the film to understand it's background. Writer and director C. Jay Cox has been quoted as saying that the two central characters, Elder Aaron Davies (Steve Sandvoss) and Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey), are both based upon himself- Aaron as the person he was at that same age, a cautious, sexually-confused Mormon missionary, Christian as the L.A. party boy he would become. And so it's clear already that [i]Latter Days[/i] is not a hollow film, but a film with feeling, a purpose, and a connection. Somehow, despite the uneven script and occasionally poor acting, [i]Latter Days[/i] creates a story that's remarkably easy to become invested in, and characters you truly root for, even when the script steps over the line.

The story is probably quite a familiar one- Christian has a bet of $50 with his co-workers at Lila's (Jacqueline Bisset) restaurant that he can't 'convert' one of the recently moved-in neighbours to his gay, part boy lifestyle. Scoping them out, Christian most frequently encounters Aaron, who shows him more courtesy than his three fellow missionaries- probably because, as Christian discovers, Aaron has been concealing a secret- his homosexual tendancies. After a kiss in the heat of a charged moment, Aaron is sent back home to Idaho in shame- though not before Christian, feeling more than just his wallet weighing upon him, goes after him.

[i]Latter Days[/i] is that rare film that actually manages to be two things at once: it's both an engaging love story, and a comment on the Latter Day Saints' treatment of gay people. As I'm not an insider I couldn't realistically comment on the film's treatment of the church here, but from reading it does sound this harsh, and surely Cox's real-life experience of the matter is evidence enough. Cox's heart is clearly coarsing through this film, from his subtle characterization of Aaron (Christian is a bit less impressive) to his tasteful yet necessary use of nudity. Just how much of Aaron's life is from Cox's own is unknown, but whatever the degree of fact, Cox maintains a strong character arc for him, and he's helped enormously by Sandvoss' superb performance in the role.

While Jacqueline Bisset brings a beautiful class and tenderness to her role, and Ramsey carries off the cocky-to-loving arc of Christian, it is Sandvoss' performance that holds together [i]Latter Days[/i]. We enter Aaron's life at a stage where he is clearly aware of his forbidden feelings, and Sandvoss immediately strikes a balance between his anxieties and his pledge to his religion. He plays the emotional points of every scene perfectly, voice breaking as he challenges Christian's laid-back views, a warm smile as he lies with Christian in the hotel room, a heartbroken jab at his mother's avoidance of his gaze. To what degree Aaron believes in his religion is never totally established, and I think that's quite important: [i]Latter Days[/i], ultimately, neither condemns or celebrates the subject, preferring to leave it as an open question, reflecting the indecision coarsing through both Aaron and Christian.

To be sure, [i]Latter Days[/i] can't avoid striking some bum notes, but these are minor points concerning minor characters (for example, Christian's roommate Julie's (Rebekah Taylor) songs are portrayed as meaningful, yet her voice is totally ordinary and manufactured), and what [i]Latter Days[/i] is really invested in is the two central characters. [i]Latter Days[/i] is not a great film, but it is a warm, engrossing one, one that almost acknowledges it's failings but providing such an engaging story that it's easy to overlook them. It raises important issues about the rift between homosexuality and religion, and does in a fair, balanced manner, while also providing an engaging central relationship. Rare is the film that warms my heart like this one.[/font].

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