Suffering Man's Charity (2007)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Alan Cumming

Writer:

Tom Gallagher (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Deadline has a new meaning.

Plot:

Jonathan Vandermark is a music teacher with a weakness for young men with great aspirations and without a pot to piss in. When Sebastian enters his life and takes advantage of John's charity, his life and afterlife will be changed forever.

Plot Keywords:

Music Teacher | Writer | Gay Kiss | Abuse | Underwear

Cast

Alan Cumming	...	John Vandermark
David Boreanaz	...	Sebastian St. Germain
Anne Heche	...	Helen Jacobsen
Karen Black	...	Renee
Whitney Allen	...	Blonde Girl In Bar
Carrie Fisher	...	Reporter
Henry Thomas	...	Eric Rykell
Maria-Elena Laas	...	Liliana
Rachelle Lefevre	...	Elaine
Jane Lynch	...	Ingrid Sorensen
Ermahn Ospina	...	Pedro
Alison Guh	...	Evelyn
Clay Allen	...	Max
Susie Park	...	Max's Wife
Desean Terry	...	Young Caterer

Also Known As:

Ghost Writer (International: English title) (DVD title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Zuckerman Entertainment

Quotes:

Eric: What is he, a drag queen?

Soundtrack:

Listen To Your Heart

Good Film For What it Was, May Not Appeal to Many

Sebastian St. Germain (David Boreanz) is a struggling writer who isn't familiar with Becket (the writer of "Waiting for Godot"). This angers his host, the opera fanatic Jon Vandermark (Alan Cumming). When Sebastian can't make any payments and his writing career appears to be going nowhere, Jon takes drastic measures to get even.

This is a first film for writer Tom Gallagher, and is directed by the star, Alan Cumming. The writing and acting is excellent. For the right people, this film is going to hit home. I personally enjoyed it, and my girlfriend was liking it as well, despite not generally being a fan of movies. Where the film runs into snags, I fear, is the subject matter.

The dialogue is very heavy with references to Becket, various operas, and other pieces of literary and "high" culture. By no means do I consider myself sophisticated, but I do have a basic background in the liberal arts. I am not sure if those with less interest in literature or the arts would take much liking to the movie. The plot is pretty basic, and Boreanz is an amazing actor (Cumming is great, too). But without the dialogue, the film falls somewhat flat -- particularly in a scene where Sebastian is quizzed on a variety of topics, such as Jack Kerouac.

I would like to give the film a second viewing now that I know where it ultimately goes, and if possible get more insight from the creators. I feel the film is meant to be very deep despite being a relatively simple storyline. If there's some deeper sense, I have missed it. Perhaps it is an homage to some great literary work? This would be appropriate, but if so it was over my head.

I recommend this film for horror and thriller fans, although you won't get much in the way of gore or many scares. It's more of a violent drama. (The film is classified as "horror" or "black comedy", but it's hard to fit it neatly into either slot.) If nothing else, this film is worth your rental... you may be surprised where it goes.