While sitting on a park bench one afternoon, Doug, a straight, sweaty, muscled construction worker, strikes up a conversation with Guy, a gay, slight, tree-hugging, vegetarian painter. Direct opposites in pretty much every way, the two banter on the works of Plato and theories of love and attraction, with Doug taking an oversimplified layman’s stance to Guy’s philosophical rants. With a pregnant girlfriend at home, Doug propositions Guy for a bit of oral, as he’s heard that gay guys are always willing to do that on a whim, and it doesn’t threaten Doug’s heterosexuality since it’s just a blowjob. Though appalled by his gall, Guy and Doug ultimately begin meeting for no-strings-attached afternoon trysts. As seasons pass and expectations shift, their one-sided, makeshift relationship tenderly progresses into something more, as forces beyond their control seem to be pulling the strings. Shot in a manner similar to Lars von Trier’s Dogville, with minimal, stage-like sets, Just Say Love is adapted from David J. Mauriello’s stage play of the same name. The film, featuring only two characters, is very dialogue-driven, exploring notions of happiness, feeding the body versus the soul, sexuality, and the laws of attraction.
Review by Angelique Smith, The Reeling Film Festival
