NOW AVAILABLE ON VOD! Director-writer Anthony Bawn’s LGBTQ indie film Emo Valley focuses on a young man named Elijah (Jordan Haze) in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a foster care survivor and is making his way as a sex worker. At a local drug dealer’s house party, he meets Zuri (Sean Alan Mazur), who is shy at first but expresses interest in him. When Elijah is drugged and taken advantage of by the drug dealer, Dope Boy PHX (Jarick White), Zuri takes him home and looks after him. After helping Elijah recover, it turns out they have real chemistry.
As their relationship progresses, Elijah discovers that meeting Zuri isn’t by chance at all. Zuri has been stalking him on social media, then staged a meeting with him at the party. Elijah is burned by the dishonesty and finds this behavior creepy.
Zuri’s roommate, Avery, is an outrageously flamboyant older gay man who advises Zuri on his love life. He suggests that the relationship may not be one that can be saved. While romantic entanglements are playing out, we see Elijah’s mother, who had given him to an orphanage when he was an infant, looking for him, which adds another layer to the intrigue of Elijah’s situation. The viewers must discover for themselves whether Zuri can patch up the damage he’s done and whether Elijah’s mother will find him.
“…Zuri has been stalking him on social media…”
Emo Valley features running narration by the director, providing a Greek chorus of third-person commentary on the events of the film and how they might relate to the viewer’s life. Bawn also appears in the film, breaking the fourth wall and, in some cases, seeming to be heard by the characters, warning them of the dangers of their actions.
The narration and some of the dialogue are conveyed in a rhyming structure that, at times, feels inspired by the cadence of Shakespearean dialogue but also has a rap lyric aspect to it. At first, this stylized verbalization seems forced and awkward, but once the viewer settles into it, it becomes unexpectedly hypnotic.
The film is presented primarily in close-up frames, with occasional spectacular interstitial shots from the desert around Phoenix. Bawn keeps the pace running smartly, and the soundtrack pulls the scenes together. The performances are awkwardly charming but relatable.
Emo Valley is a slice-of-life story about a lost youth navigating a hostile world. Told as a modern LGBTQ fable, the film punches through stigma and alienation to tell a warm, human story of attraction and heartbreak and provides a cautionary tale about life on the streets.
Emo Valley is available on VOD and other streaming services.
"…a warm, human story..."
