Chad Allen (Dr Quinn, End of the Spear), Robert Gant (Queer as Folk), and Judith Light (Who’s the Boss, Ugly Betty) star in Save Me, an indie film about a young man in an ex-gay ministry. The film premiered yesterday at the Sundance Film Festival and early reporting suggests a well-crafted and nuanced film that sensitively looks at the lives of those who participate in ex-gay ministries.
Unofficially Sundance gives the plot premise
Years in the making, Robert Cary’s exquisite third feature, Save Me, is a film about redemption. Mark (Chad Allen), a lost, young, gay man, leads a wild life of drugs and meaningless sex, searching desperately to fill the emptiness in his soul. When Mark finally hits bottom, his brother checks him into Genesis House, a 12-step, Christian, “ex-gay” ministry specializing in healing sexual brokenness.
USA Today (via AZ-Central) says
Judith Light in “Save Me as Gayle,” a brokenhearted mother who runs a ministry to “cure” gay men. Light’s character is humanized, not demonized. “Save Me” is just as likely to challenge the perceptions of liberals as conservatives. “Just because people are misguided in some way doesn’t mean that they’re bad or evil,” says Light, best known for TV roles in “Who’s the Boss?” and “Ugly Betty.”
And Christianity Today reports
One of the things that struck me about this film was how the filmmakers (some who are themselves gay as we learned during the question and answer time following the screening) portrayed the motives and stories of the conservative Christians who lead the ex-gay ministry with tenderness and grace. Is it possible that many in the gay community are more gracious in their understanding of Evangelical Christians than we are towards them?
I look forward to the opportunity to view this film and share with you my own observations.
I hope Movie opens people’s eyes & hearts to realize the damage Ex-Gay ministries cause to good people. I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church along attending serveral non demoninational churches. It’s been an interesting & enlightning experience and blessed to have had. All along I’ve known since being a little boy of my attraction to guys and these feelings are not compatible with church beleifs. I realized that to have a successful & happy life I would have to live in a major US Urban Metro area.
I tried a “marriage” to a woman thinking my feelings would subside. The feelings did not. I was faithful during the 3 years and counted each day til the divorce was final. There were no children. Afterwards I was free to be the person G-d trully intended me to be. I was 30 something. A major burden was lifted and my fears were relieved because I now was living in truth and no longer twisted in deception.
Within a year I found the man that’s my partner now. It was love at first sight and I strongly feel that G-d brought us together, watches over us and blesses us with a good life together. Our families give us no problems, we are accepted and not demonized. We aren’t perfect, just fortunate. I’ve come to a personal realization that G-d intended human life to have mysteries that the living were never meant to fully understand, one big topic is Gays & Lesbians.
I trully hope for acceptance, reconciliation and end of the demonizing from people who are true followers of Christ. We as people are meant to live in peace to love of one another.
I had some inside dish on this movie over a year ago. I was assured that I would love it
and to be sure and see it at OutFest this summer.
And I will.
In the meantime, other similar works such as “Saving Frank” with Dan Butler, or “Shock to the System” the second in Chad’s Donald Strachy series, both deal with reparative therapy.
The lighter side of this (But I’m a Cheerleader/Saved/Latter Days) stuff for all intents purposes makes witnessing such treatment of a person bearable.
But the reality is fear, coercion, emotional blackmail and control.
And no child should be subject to it, who should be loved and accepted from the beginning.
I confronted Joseph Nicolosi directly, on a public broadcast about his ignoring the current and long accepted approach to homosexuality as a non issue, not requiring cure.
And the evidence that acceptance and equal access and protection for young gays and lesbians has positive outcomes for them and their families.
I asked why wouldn’t he accept what the psychiatric community has to offer, and the proof of their results?
He acted like he didn’t hear me.
Hell of a response for a professional to give when asked a legit question.
I think such demands of NARTH are important and more than legitimate.
Regan… Joseph’s response is what one could refer to as the “Ostrich approach”… bury your head in the sand and hope that the problem goes away. The only way to bring questions like these forward is to re-ask them often and as publicly as possible, and encourage others to do the same thing. Most P.R. reps would agree that repeatedly ignoring a pointed question in public venues will start to damage credibility on the part of the one who is ignoring, in some cases even more than if they had given a really shaky answer to start with.
Hey, I think I broke the story of this movie being made back in October 😉
Granted, I was just going off of a tiny tip and had not details, but glad to see my tipster is reliable.
Here’s the link:
https://someguysarenormal.blogspot.com/2006/10/possible-ex-gay-movie.html
To reference the St. Francis of Assisi prayer…
when, when, when…is the ex gay industry going to have the wisdom to know the difference?
Their claims will have to take on substance.
And we know there isn’t any.
Considering how much money a person has to spend in Nicolosi’s therapy, on the materials they sell and the time and deprivation involved…I don’t even get the attractiveness of their program.
Other than the fear and desparation they themselves foster.
They really try to sell that being gay is far less attractive than their program or the people they have running it.
I agree that living with HIV, or drug addiction or lonliness and your parents not loving you is extremely unattractive.
And difficult.
But if that hasn’t happened to you…and all you are is a sweet faced teenager who isn’t really having that hard a time…this program more wants to guarantee you WILL have a hard time if they don’t get to intervene.
Such is their folly.
It’s very hard to tell them that they CAUSE more problems than they solve.
Pointing this out, hard and often is definitely on the agenda of how to fight them back.
They have to bring it. But it’s fair to suspect they don’t have it to bring.
“Is it possible that many in the gay community are more gracious in their understanding of Evangelical Christians than we are towards them?”
That’s an interesting quote, especially seeing as it comes from “Christianity Today.” I don’t know exactly how true it is. To me, there seems to be plenty of vitriol and a lack of understanding on both sides. But it is at least comforting to know that some Evangelicals realize the need for grace and understanding when it comes to their relationships with the gay community.
I’m looking forward to seeing this movie. Though I’m Side B, and somewhat supportive of the premise of ex-gay ministries, I’ve never been tempted to enter one of any type. I disagree with a lot of their tactics, mainly, even though I do give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their intentions.
I did get to see the movie’s premiere and third screening at Sundance. It is just amazing. Chad Allen plays Mark Malloy a drug and sex addicted young man who hits bottom and is enrolled in an ex-gay ministry run by Gayle (Judith Light). While there Mark meets Robert Gant’s character. They are first friends and eventually fall in love. The interesting thing to me is that although Genesis House doesn’t cure Mark of being gay. Through the love and support of the center and his fellow residents Mark is able to kick drugs and actually find love for both himself and for someone else. So maybe Genesis didn’t have the desired effect at least for Mark it did help make him a better person.
The movie is just amazing. Run, don’t walk to the nearest theater showing it. Bring some tissues and enjoy a good cry while you also roll on the floor laughing.
As Chad’s webmaster I got to spend a great deal of time with him and the cast last weekend. They are a remarkable group of people. They have a genuine love for each other and for Save Me. It was exciting to watch them witness the birth of their movie.
I’m glad that is portrayed in this movie. Our regular readers know that this is not an uncommon story from those who have gone through ex-gay ministries. Though I do not see many examples of people whose attractions change – at least long-term – we do frequently hear that participants find stability, responsibility, and a relationship with God and family as a result of the ministries.
Timothy, let’s not forget as Shidlo and Shroeder found many feel they are harmed by the “exgay” therapy as well.