Judas Kiss

Only a gay sci-fi movie would feature a plot line where the protagonist has sex with himself!  It’s just one of the hard-to-fathom threads of this well-meaning movie that is all about the whole concept of having a second chance to go back and fix one’s own past.

Zachary is a failed film director who’s rather aimless life is now nothing more than just a series of parties. He reluctantly agrees to fill in as judge at a film completion at his old alma mater.  As bitter and angry as he is, he still manages to pick up the cutest boy on campus that night and they have a wild night of passion together.  Next day he discovers that the same boy is not only a candidate in the completion but his name is Danny Reyes and the movie he has made is called Judas Kiss. This so happens is Zachary’s legal name and the movie that he directed some 20 years previously in school was also called Judas Kiss.  Turns out the boy is literally him, and what is on offer is Zachary’s chance to make this all turn out better than what they actually did when he had messed it all up.

Nice idea, but JP Tepnapa the young filmmaker hasn’t quite worked out all the logics of realistically making the ‘fantasy’ convincing, and sadly too all the characters are just a tad too bland.  It seems like every time the plot is in real danger of going to far off the rails, then the characters kiss. Sweet, but not an effective storytelling technique.

That said there is something that refreshing and engaging that still makes this movie fairly watchable when you can ignore the sci-fi aspects.  Having a cast that are both talented actors and great eye candy helps too.  The actor/writer Charlie David (‘Mulligans’,’A Four Letter Word’ etc)  plays Zachary, young Richard Harmon (TV’s ‘The Killing’) is a revelation as Danny, and then there is Sean Paul Lockhart as fellow student Chris.  Turns out that young Mr Lockhart is already a big ‘movie’ star under the name Brent Corrigan, and now he proves he can act with his clothes on too.