Release

There’s really only two ways to follow up a powerful, gritty movie like Shank: you either go in completely the opposite direction and make something light and feel-good, or you up the stakes and go darker still… I’m very glad the makers of new gay movie, Release, chose the latter option.

I won’t lie to you: Release doesn’t always make for easy viewing; it has some disturbing scenes; the plot is coloured by current social issues and the filmmakers want you to think – Another Gay Movie this ain’t.
The story takes place in a nondescript prison and all we know at the beginning is that an incarcerated priest has formed a sexual relationship with one of his prison guards. We don’t know the priest’s crime or how the two men came together.

Father Jack (Daniel Brocklebank) and prison officer Martin (Garry Summers) find in each other’s arms some secret relief from their harsh environment, while Jack wrestles with his crime and a faith that says his relationship with Martin is wrong.

He tries to atone for his past actions by taking his young, troubled cell-mate (Shank’s Wayne Virgo) under his wing, saving him from a beating by the prison’s creepy, latex glove wearing gang leader, Max (Bernie Hodges). This is a man who proves, in vintage James Bond villain style, that you can be quiet and menacing at the same time, as long as you have a bunch of thugs to do your dirty work.

There is a danger with any prison-set film of falling into the movie cliche trap. The prison warden played by Dymphna Skehill could easily have ended up as a butch caricature, but she injects some ambiguity and compassion into the role of Heather, a frustrated woman who’s only too aware of the harsh reality of life inside.

Release cleverly mixes up the timeline of the movie so that three narrative strands inter-weave, creating suspense and drip-feeding the audience enough plot revelations to keep us gripped until we learn the true nature of the priest’s crime.

The film blends touches of horror and fantasy as it moves to its shocking conclusion, making very effective use of the hoodie to add some visual chills.

Daniel Brocklebank convinces as the tormented priest and amazingly this is only Garry Summer’s second film. They have good chemistry and you’ll be routing for the two gay lovers, hoping they can overcome all the obstacles in their way and make it to a happy ending, despite the sense of impending doom.

Co-directors and co-writers Christian Martin and Darren Flaxstone have made good on their promise to produce movies that raise the bar for independent gay cinema. Release is a film for the brain as well as the senses.

Release will be out in the Summer.