Unless it's Cannes or Sundance, one doesn't generally attend film festivals for the parties. Film festivals are, in my experience, nothing more and nothing less than opportunities. Opportunities to hope.

The odds aren't really in the festival's favor, but still, you can feel it in the air -- an excited tension, a whispered prayer, a longshot hope that the brand new unseen film about to unspool before you will be a gem, a life-changing experience, or (God help us) a classic in the making. And after slogging through a number of well-intentioned but weakly-executed efforts that populate many festivals, the hope-against-hope becomes an obsessive force.

And then, when one comes along...ahhh. Sheer heaven.

Such a slice of divinty bubbles off the screen in Miles Swain's debut feature THE TRIP, an independent effort that may be the most charming romantic comedy to hit festival screens in years. This is the film many gay audiences have been waiting for, those turned off by the banality of TRICKs and BROKEN HEARTS LEAGUEs. For THE TRIP is something truly, and astonishingly, different -- a genuine romance as whipsmart funny as it is heartfelt, a comedy that isn't afraid to admit its intelligence or its politics. It is, in short, the end to a very long dry spell for fans of accomplished gay cinema; we can only hope that some smart distributor will pick it up and spread the joy nationally.

Draped across a turbulent decade in gay history (1973-1984), THE TRIP follows the twists and turns in the relationship of Alan (Larry Sullivan) and Tommy (Steve Braun). What might have been a disastrous premise -- Alan is a closeted Republican, Tommy out and politically active -- finds unexpected results thanks to the formidable imagination and crackling dialogue of director/writer Miles Swain, who conveys the palpable emotion between these two men in a way that is at once utterly charming and unflichingly honest. The connection between these men is infectious; as Alan and Tommy fall in love with each other, it's hard not to fall for both of them yourself.

Although the story hits the polemical high points of the decade (Anita Bryant, Nixon, Reagan, AIDS), THE TRIP is never content to let convention invade its borders. When gay cliches do appear ("Boy, was I drunk last night"), they are quickly, wittily turned on their head. The larger thematic issues -- the struggle between conformity and individuality, between self-restraint and personal freedom -- are underscored in thoughtful, resonant passages that further the narrative and enhance the characters. When AIDS makes a late appearance as the characters reach the 1980's, THE TRIP becomes even more than it was before -- an eloquent testament to the power of love and loyalty, one that is reminiscent of classics like Longtime Companion and Parting Glances (if they had met, say, Thelma and Louise in a bar.)

As the couple at the center of THE TRIP, Larry Sullivan and Steve Braun balance comedy and drama like professional high-wire artists, each turning in award-worthy performances. Braun, in particular, is mesmerizing; whether playfully seductive or smarting from betrayal, Braun finds detail and nuance that transform the character's vulnerability into an act of bravura.

A stellar ensemble, including Alexis Arquette (Pulp Fiction) and Ray Baker (Girl, Interrupted), gleefully rip into their parts like prize pinatas. As Alan's prescient mother, Jill St. John (Hart To Hart) is deliciously out-there fun. Unexpected cameos keep things spicy, with everyone from Julie Brown to David Mixner making an appearance.

THE TRIP may not be for everyone -- certainly, those who've been satisfied with tepidly-plotted mediocrity like TRICK and BROKEN HEARTS LEAGUE at their local gay moviehouse may find Swain's remarkable debut too much to handle. It's sexy, but not necessarily provocative; it's funny, but a hundred times smarter than the antics of Will And Grace. But for those of us who sit in the darkened theatre, expectantly, waiting for the projector to start -- those of us who hope each time that the film will be not just okay, but Truly Great -- THE TRIP is the answer to our prayers.

-- Gabriel Shanks

Review text copyright © 2002,Gabriel Shanks and Cozzi fan Tutti, © 2003 Mixed Reviews. All rights reserved. Reproduction of text in whole or in part in any form or in any medium without express written permission of Mixed Reviews or the author is prohibited.

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