Big Eden

Henry Hart is a painter living in New York. When the grandfather who raised him has a stroke, he puts his career on hold and returns to Big Eden, his home town in Montana. He has two things in mind: caring for his grandfather, and getting something started with Dean, whom he has loved since school. Pike, who runs the town store, is interested in Henry and tells nobody. Thomas Bezucha inverts the usual construction of queer narrative from that period: the small town here is not a threat. Nobody excludes and nobody outs; the town quietly works in Henry's favour. That is a deliberate choice and the film makes it knowing it is a utopia. Arye Gross plays Henry, Eric Schweig plays Pike, Tim DeKay plays Dean, and Louise Fletcher plays the most inquisitive woman in town. Who it's for: Viewers who like gentle queer romantic drama, small-town narratives, and stories of healing without conflict. Who it's not for: The town's response is not realistic and the film does not examine that. The pace is slow and there is almost no dramatic tension.