![]() After Chris’s wife Emily sees the two of them kiss, he realizes that he can no longer live like this. Of course, instead of getting closure, they fall right back into bed with each other. Seeing each other again stirs up old feelings that never got closure, so RJ decides to take a trip out to Utah, purportedly to write about something for the magazine he works at, but really so he can see Chris again and finally get closure. ![]() Of course that all changes when they receive word that their friend Rodney has passed away and they are both invited to the funeral. RJ and Chris have not seen or spoken to each other since they took a road trip across the country a couple of years prior. RJ on the other hand moved to Seattle, is no longer a practicing Mormon, and lives with his boyfriend, Paul ( Thomas Stroppel). Now, five years after his relationship with RJ, he met a woman named Emily ( Hannah Barefoot), married her, and then the two had a daughter. We learn that after the events in Portland, at his father Noah’s ( Bruce Jennings) urging, Chris entered some sort of conversion therapy program, completed it, and devoted his life to being a good Mormon. Part IIĪs I mentioned, the second film, The Falls: Testament of Love, delves more into Chris’ life. Whenever there was a scene in which one of the leads talked to another character, who was not a main character in the movie, like when RJ and Chris did their mission work, or any scene involving RJ, Chris, or Thomas talking to church council members, the camera never shows us the person to whom they are speaking you just hear their voice. There is one choice the filmmaker made over and over again I have to point that out bugged me. ![]() While the third movie is most technically the best, the second one is actually the most interesting. By the second film, the sound mixing and camerawork become much better, and the actors also seem to come into their own more. Of the three films, the first one is definitely the weakest in production-value and acting-wise. The second movie introduces us more to Chris’ family and his upbringing, which is not as supportive and open as RJ’s. In fact, both RJ’s parents and his younger sister stand by him no matter what, even if it means he no longer follows their religion. RJ’s father, Thomas ( Harold Phillips), while it takes him some time to process, is actually very supportive of his son. An interesting parallel to Latter Days is that the parents in this movie are not heinous people. RJ realizes that he can’t go back into the closet and decides to sever his ties with the church, though he does not officially get excommunicated. source: Breaking Glass PicturesĪfter being caught, their paths diverge greatly, RJ is sent home to face the quorum, while Chris, whose father is a very high ranking church member, is allowed to stay on his mission as long as he promises not to have relations with any more men. Of course, their secret is eventually found out when their mission leader, Elder Harris ( Quinn Allan) walks in on them in bed together. Saville Allard) a veteran with PTSD whom they initially tried to convert, but befriend instead. Instead, they spend their days with each other and hanging out with Rodney ( Brian J. The more they fall in love, the less time they spend tending to their mission work. ![]() As the two grow closer together they begin to fall in love, and eventually, start having sex. The first movie introduces us to Elder RJ Smith ( Nick Ferrucci) and Elder Chris Merril ( Benjamin Farmer), young men around twenty who are paired as mission companions in Portland. The trilogy follows them from their time together as missionaries, through their twenties, and ends with them finally getting married. Also, don’t forget to buy your Queerly Ever After merch right here.Ĭontinuing with the theme from my last entry, Latter Days, is Jon Garcia’s The Falls trilogy ( The Falls, The Falls: Testament of Love, and The Falls: Covenant of Grace), about two Mormon missionaries who fall in love. Queerly Ever After is a bi-monthly column where I take a look at LGBT+ films that gave their characters a romantic happily-ever-after. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |