Jay Bell Books

Big Gay Movie Review: Lilies

A man imprisoned for life calls upon a priest in order to make his final confession, yet it is the man of cloth that will be made to confess. The inmates take the old priest hostage and force him to view a stage play, a story from his own past, a story of two boys in love.

Lilies takes place both in the present and the past, the play the inmates perform blending seamlessly into reality as the film progresses. Our two lovers are Simon (Jason Cadieux) and Vallier (Danny Gilmore) two of the most beautiful men to appear on screen together. Gilmore is particularly stunning. He almost seems to glow with an alien beauty in this film. Gilmore’s character Vallier is the most sympathetic role, as of the two men he is the only one accepting and comfortable with their relationship.




Simon’s father is strict, dishing out severe beatings that drive his son to shun his lover for an exotic countess played by Brent Carver. That’s correct, the countess is played by a man in drag, as are all the female roles in the film. This effect is only momentarily distracting at the beginning and makes a strange sort of sense, as the play is being put on by male prisoners.

Vallier does everything in his power to regain Simon’s affections but the priest, seen now as a young man, has his own plans for the romantic pair.

Pros:
-Every scene with Simon and Vallier together is pure chemistry.
-The surreal presentation and the theatrical performances give a dream-like quality to the film.
-The original and multi-layered plot that encapsulates many themes including sexuality, the need to escape, revenge, abandonment, and so much more.

Cons:
-We never get to see Simon and Vallier in the prime of their love for each other. The story picks up at the beginning of their separation. It would have been wonderful to see their unhindered affection for each other.
-Vallier’s mother is a strange character that intrudes on almost every romantic scene, which is a real mood killer and somewhat creepy.

I’ll end my review here, since the story of Lilies is best told by the unlikely inmate thespians. If you are looking for something thought provoking and unique, romantic and poetic, then this is the film for you.

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