Save Me

Reviewer: James van Maanen
Rating (out of 5): ****

Most movies that have tackled the question of Christian "sexuality" or "ex-gays" (men who have supposedly fought and succeeded in surmounting their homosexuality via their strong belief in Jesus) -- whether a narrative film like the comedy Saved! or documentaries such as Fall From Grace and For the Bible Tells Me So -- have found the Christian part of the equation wanting. As good as these films were in some ways, the religious folk pictured were too often hypocritical, small-minded, uncaring -- or sometimes plain stupid. What makes Save Me such a find -- and a fine example of the religion-struggling-with-sexuality bind -- is that, here, both sides are filled with caring, decent people trying to do the right thing.

This is not to say that the filmmakers give both sides equal weight or correctness. I suspect they are clearly of the mind that being gay is a genetic predisposition not changeable via faith. Yet the screenplay (by Robert Desiderio, from a story by Craig Chester and Alan Hines) and the direction of Robert Cary combine to present a quite believable tale of a religious home for homosexual young men who want (or more likely, whose parents want them) to "straighten out." The home is run by a kind, smart couple (a wonderful performance Judith Light and a good one -- only because he is given less screen time -- by the excellent, versatile Stephen Lang). When the true needs of the young men, in interesting and varied ways, come up against those of the home's keepers, not only do sparks begin to fly, but it leads to some thoughtful probing from both sides.

Director Cary and his casting people (Kerry Barden and Jennifer Ricchiazzi) have done a first-rate job of peopling the movie with wonderful actors who bring life and truth to their characters: Chad Allen and Robert Gant in the lead roles, as well as Robert Baker as the saddest and the kindest of the young men in the home, are all first-rate, and every actor, no matter how small the role, fills his or her spot beautifully. The film tries, and to a surprising degree, succeeds in making love the important part of Christianity. This, after all, was what set apart the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and the Bible's "New Testament" from what had come before in the "Old." You'd never know this from the words and actions of so many of the fundamentalists who've high-jacked Christianity for their own uses: power, money and control. Save Me helps rescue religion, paving the way for what, after the recent election, we can only hope will be a time in which we'll be able to sit down again and reason together.