Today, I discovered a wonderful gay movie entitled 'Mysterious Skin' which starred a younger Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I didn't expect much from the movie, thinking it was just another gay movie with wayward gay men looking for a quick fix.
It had a deeper story and a very disturbing first act which involved scenes of pedophilia. It was very shocking to watch knowing that these grown men were abusing these boys. Gordon-Levitt's character was played by a younger actor and he was around 10 years old and those scenes. It was maddening that no one discovered that scum of a baseball coach so these two boys, Gordon-Levitt's character, and another main character actor, had to go through these horrible abuse growing up.
Gordon-Levitt is fearless in this movie and I am surprised he did not receive that much buzz from it. He was very very good and you really root for him as he tries to fix his life, dealing with his homosexuality and his decision to be in the sex trade.
The story depicts how these two young men are dealing with a present which does not present too much promise to gay men like them and dealing with a dreadful past which possibly made them think their bodies were up for sale and to be used like that by other predatory men.
I wish I would have seen this movie when I was younger since the emotions are very raw and the pain they were dealing with was making them feel numb and immobile - but still they move on and try to make the best of their situation.
It may seem like a depressing movie but it's a movie of empowerment, where the victim stops acting like a victim - and takes control of their future - and dealing with a past that has left their self-esteem in tatters.
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