If Henry Jaglom were to venture his way into gay cinema, there's a good chance his film would have a flavor similar to that of Lost Everything, a stylish and slightly retro thriller involving a Hollywood star, Brian Brecht (Mark Whittington), whose closeted relationship with a hunky David (Kyle Lupo) could destroy his career if a determined paparazzi, Len (Terry Hardcastle), is able to get photographic proof of the relationship.

It's not the storyline that makes Lost Everything resemble a Jaglom film, but the ways in which director and co-writer Kim St. Leon constructs the film and creates an atmosphere that resembles a more old school drama. All of the characters here have a certain flair about them, and all the actors are clearly on the same page in terms of St. Leon's vision for the film.

Lost Everything captured 3rd place at Cleveland's Indie Gathering in the Best Suspense-Thriller Feature and also nabbed the Audience Award as Florida Favorite at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. The film has now been picked up by QC Cinema, the LGBT distribution arm for Breaking Glass Pictures, for a home video release.

While the storyline for Lost Everything seems simple, co-writers St. Leon and Jerry Hamilton Bell up the suspense quite a bit by introducing ancillary storylines and characters who manage to increase both the intrigue and appeal of the film. Brian, for example, has a maternally protective manager, Helen (Angie Radosh), who makes arrangement for a faux girlfriend, Michelle (Anna Lopez), to stay on the scene. There's also heavy-handed Jay (Henry Dittman), who works persuasively to "encourage" Len to drop his efforts. The plot lines go on and on and eventually we even include gay son of a famed televangelist.

Oh my. There's a lot going on in Lost Everything.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the abundance of storylines, Lost Everything somehow manages to remain a cohesive and involving unit. This is likely owing to St. Leon's consistent direction and his strong ensemble cast. While it's not uncommon for indie gay cinema to be a tad hit-and-miss in the acting department, St. Leon has managed to assemble a cast that stays on the same page together and turns Lost Everything into quite the effective thriller.

The film requires a strong central performance from its lead and Mark Whittington delivers, capturing quite well the sense of hysteria that goes through the mind of someone who can lose everything so easily. Leif Holt, Henry Dittman and Avery Sommers are also quite impressive.

St. Leon's production crew also maintains the film's consistency, with D.P. Irv Goodnoff lensing the film with sort of a soft muting that gives the film its retro appearance while Keith Norstein's art direction and Sherri Weiss's costuming both add up to a film that remains involving throughout its running time, though it must be noted that the wildly intersecting story lines to become a tad convoluted and, as well, are tied up a tad quickly as the film winds down.

For more information on Lost Everything, visit the film's page on the Breaking Glass Pictures website.


© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic