Food of Love (2003)

Adapted from David Leavitt's 1998 novel "The Page Turner", this film is the story of a love affair between an 18-year-old man and his much older mentor. Paul (Kevin Bishop) is a music student working as an assistant for a classical pianist, Richard Kennington (Paul Rhys). The two meet first in San Francisco, then in Barcelona and begin a relationship, but they must contend with Paul's neurotic mother Pamela (Juliet Stevenson) and Richard's boyfriend and manager Mansourian (Allan Corduner). Richard flees to New York, and when he meets Paul again, he is a Julliard student, promiscuous and in an affair with yet another middle-aged man. The movie has first and second acts, but no conclusion. Act I is the development of the relationship between Paul and Richard. Act II is about Paul's move to NYC, where he becomes a disillusioned jerk. No Act III. When the story begins to reach a climax, it ends with no resolution of any plot threads. The final scenes seem empty.

"Food of Love" is complex, interesting, polished, with occasional insights into the lies we believe and tell to others. The sad thing is that none of the characters really learn anything about themselves. They simply discover that people lie and life sucks. And the idea that a young sensitive gay pianist might be happy in the romantic clutches of leering, ugly, bald, and smug men who are in their fifties stretches credibility. This Spanish/German film is well-done on a low budget, with beautiful music, and some good acting. Charles Cases composed the music, and Ventura Pons wrote the screenplay and directed.

In the Flesh (1997)

Oliver (Dane Ritter), a 21 year-old clean-cut student, is living a double life. His upper-class family sees a decent young man, but they know nothing of his night life as a gay hustler. Suspected of murder, he turns to his lover Philip Kirsch (Ed Corbin)--a closeted undercover narc probing the drug traffickers involved in the homicide. Soon Philip becomes Oliver's reluctant alibi for the murder charge. Kirsch risks his job for Oliver, insisting he is innocent of the crime. He follows Oliver around like a lost puppy, searching his medical files, and inviting him to live in his house until he finds a place of his own. Soon the hustler becomes the hustled when he becomes the target of a murderer. What remains is the two attempting to stay alive amid corruption and greed in a seedy suburb of Atlanta. One of Philip's cop buddies plays a role in the film's finale, in a contrived twist.

It's a thriller/love story with interesting characters, from the attractive leads to the suspicious bartender, rent boys, and an older cop who has seen it all. Although low budget with some wooden acting, the character development is good and the film is quite appealing. However, some viewers describe it as cheesy, emotionless, predictable, with hackneyed plot twists and weak writing. We get to see a gratuitous sex scene between a male and female, but no gay sex. Eddie Horst composed the music, and Ben Taylor wrote the screenplay and directed.