I Am Michael

I was very confused after watching this film. Confused because I wasn’t sure if I should like and appreciate the film or whether I should disregard the whole message. As a gay man, who struggled to come out and be comfortable with who I am, this film takes a major step back for LGBT community. Based on a real and true story, the film treats gender and sexuality in a way that many people like may not appreciate but the cause, but I am still going to try to be objective about the whole thing.

Michael and Ben are a happening ‘A-List’ gay couple with a very happy life in California. Ben is an architect while Michael works at XY magazine, arguing "being attracted to the same sex doesn't define who you are." They move to Canada for better life and there they meet Charlie who very soon becomes a part of their life as the trio. They travel cross country in US making a documentary about gay youth in areas far from liberal coastal hubs.  In one such interviews a gay student confronts him on why Michael thinks that being gay and being Christian cannot co-exist. And then the same student comforts a sad friend with a religious prayer. This strikes a chord with Michael and he starts reading Bible. When he forces himself to believe that he has a heart condition like his father, he take sup religion and bible big time. Ben is completely confused by what’s going around him and even Michael doesn’t know what to do. He soon leaves home to search for his path and enrolls himself in a Bible school to become a priest. He also publicly announces that he doesn’t identify himself as a gay man anymore which causes furore in LGBT circle given his popularity. He also meets , falls in love and marries a fellow girl student, and start his own church, also trying to help young men get past one's homosexual yearnings.

By the story, you can realize, how it is difficult to watch and accept what’s being shown; but the truth is that it is reality and Michael Glatze still exists. The film just portrays what exactly happened, without taking sides. I thought James Franco brilliantly portrayed Michael’s character, thoroughly confused as to what’s going on and in search of his path. The scenes where he realizes that religion can actually co-exist with being gay and then slowly control his urges to become an ‘ex-gay’, has been portrayed with brilliant pain in the eyes. Ben plays. a very subtle yet important role who literally watches his partner of many years just suddenly vanish and become a person who he never knew. I am glad that the film focussed well on both his gay life and post gay life, so that viewers get to see a comparison. But the film starts getting slow after a point. We know Michael wants to know his path but as a viewer it gets tiring after a while, despite some great performances. I don’t really know what happened to the actual Michael as of today, but the film tried to portray that maybe Michael hasn’t completely forgotten that he is gay and loved Ben once, something that is conveyed when Michael calls Ben at the end.

Even if I review this objectively keeping the subject aside, as a subject this could have had a huge impact and I feel a deeper approach to the psychology of Michael and more challenges to religion would have added some more meat to the film. Sadly, it is too simple after a while and start losing viewer’s interest. (5.5/10)