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A Long Night of Being Gay in Strapped

A A A Comments (5) By Nick Schager Wednesday, Sep 22 2010

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Strapped
Directed by Joseph Graham
TLA Releasing
Opens September 24, Quad Cinema

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A dream odyssey of gay self-definition that's as laborious as it is hollow, Strapped follows a nameless hustler (Ben Bonenfant) through random eroticized encounters with a variety of johns in a mysterious apartment building. Traveling down a succession of rabbit (and other) holes over the course of one rainy night, his is a purely representational journey, with Bonenfant's self-described "agent of desire" screwing, for cash, strange men whose assorted carnal appetites and similarly divergent comfort levels with their sexuality are supposed to help clarify his own confused identity. Alas, for all of writer/director Joseph Graham's orgasmic close-ups, this nomadic Abercrombie & Fitch–looking protagonist remains throughout a listless cipher. Moreover, his randy dalliances with a tentative Russian soldier, a flamboyantly miserable cokehead, a burly older gent, and a sweet romantic (among others) are dramatically inert and rife with forced pathos and explicit smuttiness, making Strapped a pretentious parade of homosexual archetypes. That impression merely mounts as the action crawls toward a climactic confrontation between fear and love, flight and fight, and is ultimately cemented by strained shout-outs to My Own Private Idaho, Foucault, and Querelle—all accentuating the second-rateness of this investigation of the interior.

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Figaro14 12/27/2011 4:41:00 AM

This reviewer must have been in a terrible mood the day he saw this film; I on the other hand thought it was one of the most meaningful gay-themed fillms I've seen in a long time. Aside from the fact that the film is a case study in how one can create art on a shoestring budget, the performances, especially that of Ben Bonenfant, are remarkably professional and believable. For a much more accurate take on the film, read Jeanette Catsoulis' review published in the New York Times.

Ilsensine69 07/10/2011 1:01:00 AM

Adding another dissenting voice to the mix - I am not sure which film the reviewer may have been watching, but I thought the title was very good, especially given what must have been a rather limited budget. Strapped may indeed be a touch guilty of trying to harbour depth beyond what it ultimately manages, but the attempt is valiant and admirable, and the performances (especially by the lead) are nuanced and delicate. The script is strong and well delivered - albeit highly stylised and often quite unnatural - but I think very successful as an examination of the themes of sexual and personal identity. Bravo!

Rox 05/10/2011 4:28:00 AM

What the heck did i just read? That show was great!

Peter 02/23/2011 5:55:00 AM

A review so one-sidedly negative suggests more about the critic than the film under scrutiny. Although compressed for dramatic effect into one night, there is much realism in this portrayal of a gay prostitute's life. But the real subject of the film is internalized homophobia, and how it may be overcome, as with the older man who treats the hustler as a lovable son, and the character, Gary, who is more interested in a meeting of souls than sex. Granted that it could be improved upon, but for a low-budget film that tackles a subject so in need of being shown, with overall good to occasionally excellent acting, dialogue that you can actually hear and a pretty good sound track, I think this film deserves much higher marks, and it is well worth watching, especially by a gay male audience. Also, I know Joe and Bill, and they are great guys! Stop comparing this to some slick Hollywood multi-zillion piece of commercial crap, especially because Hollywood will never tackle this subject.

Harvey 01/09/2011 1:17:00 AM

I believe the article is totally wrong. I thought the movie was thought provoking and well acted. Ben Bonenfant did a great job as a hustler stuck in a building he can't get out of. Each of the random contacts brings him closer to the exit and reveals more about himself, until, at last, he comes to the exit and a final revelation about himself. Watch it!