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By
Steve Lawrence
Contributing
Film Critic
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Although “Hate Crime” was filmed in Dallas, it’s a tale that could happen
wherever churches preach hatred in Christ’s name.
“Hate Crime,” which premieres at the Q-Cinema
film fest on Saturday, is about a gay accountant but it’s not a
by-the-numbers drama. Part gay love story, part mystery, part police
procedural, part vigilante action and yes, part trashy melodrama — it’s
all good, although some aspects of it are better than others.
Robbie Levinson (Seth Peterson) and Trey McCoy
(Brian J. Smith) are the perfect gay couple, poster boys for same-sex
marriage. Robbie, a C.P.A., tends to be satisfied with the status quo.
Trey, who works in his recovering alcoholic father’s (Sean Hennigan)
veterinary practice, is the emotional, romantic one. He’s convinced
Robbie, after six years, to have a commitment ceremony, and is starting
to push to expand their family by more than just their beloved dog.
The dog’s is the first face we see, leaving a
deserted park at night with no one on the other end of her leash. Given
the film’s title, that image says a lot.
It’s about half an hour before we come back
to that scene. By then we’ve gotten to know and like Trey and Robbie.
We’ve also gotten to know and dislike their new next-door neighbor,
Chris Boyd (Chad Donella), and his equally homophobic (but cute) buddy
Alton Kachim (Luke King).
Chris is the son of Pastor Boyd (Bruce
Davison), who preaches hellfire and damnation to the good Christians of
West Dell Bible Church and teaches the children about Abraham and
Isaac, which illustrates that a loving parent should always be ready to
sacrifice a child if God wills it. The church’s Web site has a link to
“GodHatesHomos.com.”
Trey’s mother (Cindy Pickett) wants
grandchildren. The boys’ across-the-street neighbor, Kathleen Slansky
(Lin Shaye) is a typical P-FLAG mom with no children of her own, so she
looks out for them. When Chris tells Robbie he’s going to hell and
warns him to watch his back, Kathleen warns Chris in turn that, if he
messes with her boys, he’s messing with her.
The other major characters are Martha Boyd
(Susan Blakely), the pastor’s loyal wife and Chris’ loving mother; and
Robbie’s sister Stella (Brandy Little)
and her young son Connor (Ben Bathman), an outlet for Trey’s paternal
instinct.
There’s tension in the neighborhood, and it
erupts the night the dog goes to the park with Trey and comes home
alone. While Trey lies in the hospital in a coma, friendly Police Det.
Elizabeth Fisher (Farah White) heads the investigation into his
assault. Robbie is certain Chris did it, with only the slightest of
circumstantial evidence to go on, but the Boyds support their son and
provide him an alibi.
As things drag on, Robbie’s frustration grows
and he does foolish things that turn him into a suspect — especially
when the case is transferred to Sgt. Esposito (Giancarlo Esposito), the
film’s worst-written character. As incredible as his behavior is
throughout, his change at the end is the icing on the cherry.
Things have to get worse before they can get
better, and they do when Robbie gets his gun, egged on by Kathleen:
“Screw the justice system. Otherwise it’ll screw you.” Some surprises
are more surprising than others — you could see one coming a mile away
even without the unnecessary setup earlier on.
Writer-director Tommy Stovall, whose partner,
Marc Sterling was executive producer, has done a remarkable job for a
first feature, blending genres seamlessly with very little overt
political preaching. Speaking of preaching, the scene that cuts back
and forth between sermons about love and hate is the film’s showpiece,
indicating how large an umbrella it takes to cover all of Christianity.
The actors Stovall’s script attracted attest
to its power. Davison does a variation on his “X-Men” villain, while
Shaye, best known for her leather-skinned caricature in “There’s
Something about Mary,” gets to play a real human being for a change.
Pickett and Blakely, who don’t work nearly enough, distinguish
themselves here, especially in their confrontation scene. Donella is
never more hateful than when he’s trying to be sympathetic, and that’s
a compliment.
Seth Peterson may remind you of “Queer as
Folk’s” Hal Sparks. Perhaps because he nails his character so well at
the outset his conversion from reactive to proactive isn’t entirely
believable. As for Brian J. Smith it’s one of those cases where I
couldn’t be sure if I was falling in love with the actor or the
character — either way, it’s hard to be objective.
See “Hate Crime.” You’ll laugh, you’ll cry,
you’ll go online to shop for a bomb big enough to wipe out Dallas and the
vicinity.
B
Writer-director: Tommy Stovall
Starring: Seth Peterson, Bruce Davison, Chad Donella and Susan Blakely
Sanders Theatre, 1300 Gendy St. Fort Worth
May 21 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
1 hr. 36 min.
Not rated.
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THERE
GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Someone doesn’t
like
the perfect gay couple: Robbie (Peterson, left) and
Trey
(Smith).
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