Written by Lloyd Eyre-Morgan
Directed by Neil Ely And Lloyd Eyre-Morgan
Benji (to the audience): "They say the best way to move forward is to go back."
Pride Month might have been last month but coinciding with celebrations in the UK this weekend, I decided to watch a new gay themed movie. I went with this one, focusing on a rather messy break up between two very messy men.
The film started with the break up of the rather closeted, Jake (David Tag) and the somewhat clingy Benji (Lloyd Eyre-Morgan). To say it was an inevitable break up would be stating the obvious. Talk about a rather doomed pairing to begin with. Saying that, they'll always have Amsterdam.
It was Amsterdam where Benji and Jake first met with one another. There was drinking, getting high, flirting and a bit of voyeurism between the pair. It led to an arrangement that Jake tried to control and Benji tried to stick with. Of course, the more time the two of them had their monthly hook ups in Amsterdam, the wider the divide became between the pair of them.
I'll give the movie points for doing some good deep dives in both men and why they seemed to never be on the same page as one another. Benji had a habit of dating men who treated him like shit and Jake had some serious abandonment issues. His aunt, Jackie (Kerry Howard) was an even worse adult figure than his own father.
I want surprised that as the movie went on that Jake was trying to pass as straight with his girlfriend, Olivia (Saira Choudry). He even got her pregnant and had a panic attack when Benji showed up at their home. While I did find Jake wanting to have things completely his way to be controlling, there were enough signs for Benji to have dumped him. Benji really made things as bad as Jake did.
Horrible break ups to one side, at least Benji got some alternative romance with Kieran (Liam Boyle). He wasn't a whiter than white counter to Jake but he was someone aware of his problems (alcohol dependency) and seemed to be making the effort to change himself for the better. By the end of this film, it also seemed like Benji was attempting to do the same thing. Jake on the other hand, not so much.
- If you've ever watched any UK soap in the last twenty years, you'll recognise most of the cast. Lorraine Stanley popped up as Benji's mother, Janet. Tyler Conti also appeared as Benji's hunky straight friend, Ryan.
- Benji's former boyfriends certainly did a number on his body issues. Even his hook ups were more into degrading him. Except that one guy who struggled to be dominant with Benji.
- Standout music: Both Lloyd Eyre-Morgan and David Tag got the opportunity to showcase their musical abilities, especially during the closing credits.
- Chronology: Took place over the course of 18 months between Manchested and Amsterdam.
Departures (2026) made for a rather enjoyable but messy look into a relationship between it's two leads and the events leading into it. Solid performances from both Lloyd Eyre-Morgan and David Tag, some decent sex scenes and a mostly positive ending for at least one of them.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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