It's an almost impossible juggling act for a proudly gay director to make a balanced, unbiased film about a self-made ex-gay who says that gays will go to hell unless they take God's true path of heterosexuality. "I am Michael" portrays its subject with gentle compassion, and yet leaves you with the unmistakable impression that he's a narcissist with at least a couple of screws loose. James Franco captures the inner turmoil and quest for peace of a man struggling to reconcile diametrically opposed facets of his life, while Zachary Quinto & Charlie Carver as his ex-lovers both wish for Michael to find happiness and reject his newfound anti-gay dogma. The film opens a conversation about gay identity, Christian identity, and the attempt to find an intersection, but doesn't try to wrap up neatly packaged answers in 100 minutes. Highly recommended.
[links and pretty pictures and such will be added when I get the chance, probably after the festival ends]
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