Elliot is real, fun-loving, passionate, trusting, intelligent, loyal and tough. A young man who will do what it takes to find a healthy, loving relationship with another man. He's looking for a boyfriend and a mate. Life is hard and sometimes even quite brutal. But every time you knock Elliot down, he gets back up again! He's not capable of giving up. He loves life too much!
Elliot Loves is about relationships. There is zero camp in this film. The sex scenes are tastefully done. There is very little stereotyping. Homophobia and prejudice against LGBTQ people within and outside the Hispanic community is not addressed at all, which I see as a sign of progress. The Gay community in 2013 is finally free to exam love, commitment and the difficult process of finding a mate as heterosexuals have been doing since the birth of filmmaking in the early 1900's!
Both actors who play Elliot, one as a child, and the other as an adult do a magnificent job. They put their hearts and souls into their respective performances and it shows. I felt like I got to know them, that's how good the character development is!
Why can't Hollywood make more beautiful gay films like Elliot Loves? The good news is that HBO has bough this film and now it will be seen by millions of people around the world on cable TV! That's huge for a gay friendly film! To quote Bob Dylan: Times They are a-Changin!
See my other two favorite LGBTQ films: "Latter Days" and "Common Ground," staring Ed Asner.
