Though we’ve progressed quite a bit when it comes to one’s sexual identity, in Brendan Prost‘s short film, Fadeaway, issues of self-acceptance still linger.
Riley (Riley Davis) gets a text from Felix (Matt Dejanovic) asking him to come over. When he gets to Felix’s place in East Vancouver, he finds that Felix has committed suicide with a drug overdose. The discovery reminds Riley of a time not so long ago when the two were on a rooftop above the basketball court where they play. Their rooftop rendezvous ends in a kiss, and both men promise to keep it secret, since they have girlfriends.
When Riley returns home after finding Felix dead, girlfriend Ellie (Sydney Eberwein) complains about a fight with her father and about Riley being MIA for the last few hours.
Riley (Riley Davis) is questioned as a coroner works in the background in Fadeaway.
“Their rooftop rendezvous ends in a kiss, and both men promise to keep it secret, since they have girlfriends.”
Writer and director Brendan Prost calls Fadeaway deeply personal. After accepting that he was bisexual, he hoped dating men would open new doors to connection and different kinds of relationships. But he hit the same walls he’d hit with women, mainly the baggage of a straight-male world. In Fadeaway, he looks at how toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia can isolate men to the point of death.
For me, Fadeaway is about the struggle not just to accept oneself and one’s sexual identity, but also to fit that into daily life. Then the struggle turns to coping, as Riley goes to unexpected lengths to deal with what happened while keeping up his “normal” lifestyle.
Prost brilliantly draws out incredible performances from Davis and Dejanovic as Riley and Felix, respectively, to pull off a tale that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
You can watch Fadeaway now on YouTube.
"…internalized homophobia can isolate men to the point of death."
