The Dead Boys' Club

Some folks say that the drug Ecstasy makes colors brighter, releases inhibitions and amplifies one's sense of touch to a point where touching anything becomes a randy delight.

In this short, that `ecstasy effect' is in a pair of shoes that are given to the `twink' Toby by his cousin Packard. The shoes belonged to Packard's late lover who has died of AIDS. When Toby puts them on, he channels the "Disco Era". The music soars, his pulse races, he becomes self-assured and every man is appealing.

This film invokes the spirit of the pre-AIDS era and revels in the hedonism and `joi de vivre' of a now-gone era. For anyone who came out during that period this film will bring back some great memories.

In this short, the shoes are black and only the real film buffs will recall what putting on the Red Shoes led to.

Many of us, not just gay folks, have tried to imagine what things were like before AIDS. When we do so, playing the classic disco anthems on our turntables or in our minds, it's hard not to look back thru the dark glasses of AIDS-era morality: All those bad things that happened with AIDS means they must have been horribly evil, promiscuous and bad way back then, which is why so many other AIDS movies have this sense of foreboding--sure, there's a party, but we all know it's going to end soon, and we all know how.

Toby, the hero of "Dead Boys' Club," finds a way to revisit the pre-AIDS era without any of that gloom on the horizon. Unsurprisingly, he finds all the fun of being young and discovering the excitement of sexual attraction--just what many a young man before him had found on his first visit to the big city. Sure, there are complications and consequences--some serious, some hilarious--and the threat of HIV isn't taken lightly. But director Mark Christopher perfectly juxtaposes past exuberance and modern realities, letting viewers feel what it's like to recall a world without HIV, while refusing to dismiss or ignore the disease.

This mix of past and present could feel forced or artsy, but it doesn't. "Dead Boys Club" shows the balance of present and past almost the way we feel it, seeing the present in front of us as our minds flash to the past, and then back to the present.

Even though the movie was a student film, I've never seen anything like it. In his next movie, "Alkali, Iowa," Christopher would expand on the idea of looking back at past events that shaped the present. Both films clearly represent a new, exciting, unconventional way of storytelling in movies, which made the choice of Christopher as director of "54" all the more surprising. Someday I hope to see what Christopher had wanted for that film; meanwhile, I'm happy to hear that he's working on other projects.

Oh, yeah: Sure, "Dead Boys Club," is sweet and wistful. It's also uproariously funny. Just recalling this movie brings a smile to my face, on so many levels.

I have seen The Dead Boys' Club several times now and it has moved me deeply each time. Certainly it is the best film involving AIDS that I've seen, without actually being about AIDS which is a pleasant change. A haunting story coupled with stylish direction - Mark Christopher smoothly evokes both nostalgia and melancholy over the pre-AIDS gay lifestyle and superimposes it against the AIDS-aware sensibility of the 90's. A couple of the performances were mildly disappointing (Erik Van Der Wilden as Packard & Ari Benjamin as Charles). The rest of the cast more than makes up for it though, most notably Nat de Wolf in the lead role as Toby.

I never liked Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" until I saw The Dead Boys' Club. Now I don't think I'll ever hear that song without this film being brought instantly to mind. This is not a bad thing.

Take 25 mins out of your life and see this movie. Different people will see different things in it, I guess. But everyone will get *something* out of it.