Down Low (Review) – Outfest 2023

Down Low is awaiting a UK release date.

Sometimes when your world falls apart, something good miraculously emerges from the rubble. Gary (Zachary Quinto) is a divorced and only recently out-of-the-closet gay man with a major headache (literally), as he has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. Longing for a happy ending, Gary hires a local twink masseur Cameron (Lukas Gage), for a bit more than your standard massage; the touch of a man having eluded Gary all his life as he attempted to hide his sexuality from his wife, and his two sons. The freewheeling and sex-positive Cameron is more than happy to use his hands in multiple ways as he chews gum and gets down to business. But when Cameron discovers Gary has never had sex with another man, the afternoon suddenly becomes a mission to get Gary laid using a hookup app to lure in a guy (Sebastian Arroyo) for a potential threesome. But this is one hookup that is about to go horribly wrong as Gary and Cameron’s evening descends into death, drugs, a dodgy dark web encounter, and the arrival of a shit-faced neighbour (Judith Light) high on prescription medication.

Rightor Doyle’s feature debut, written by Phoebe Fisher and Lukas Gage, is a delightfully dark, proudly queer and wickedly funny farce. But beneath the dark comedy, we also have a heartfelt exploration of love, loss and internalised homophobia. Down Low is, in essence, a two-person play and a proud “be gay, do crime” movie that joyously twists the classic rom-com into something far darker. Here the chemistry between Gage and Quinto is sublime as Gage’s freewheeling, sex-positive twink attempts to release Quinto’s repressed, conservative, scared gay man from his internal cage.

But, while Down Low is wickedly entertaining, it also speaks directly to a continuing truth despite our social progress; many people continue to be prevented from embracing their sexual orientation or identity due to social, religious and family pressure. Some remain closeted their entire lives, attempting to rid themselves of the feelings and emotions that could make them whole. The psychological damage this reaps is vast for the person hiding and the people they pull into their secretive world. For Qunito’s Gary, Cameron may initially be nothing more than a quick meet, but he soon becomes the key to his long-suppressed need for escape. While for Cameron, Gary offers a sense of stability and togetherness he knows is time-limited.

While there are echoes of Pretty Woman (1990), Rough Night (2017) and Weekend at Bernie’s (1989), Doyle’s debut feature is delightfully fresh and different as it joyously subverts initial audience expectations. And while it occasionally struggles to dovetail its richly dark comedy with its far more emotional core, it is one hell of a ride. Down Low may appear to be a straightforward farce at first glance, but it has more layers than your average Mille-feuille, its gloriously dark humour sandwiched between layers of love, loss, healing and pride.