"Big Eden"

[terrya]

Hi,

 

I'm new to the TCM Message Boards.

 

 

I'm gay, and I wish TCM would show some LGBT films from time to time. One film I wish TCM would show is "Big Eden", a film from 2000. Arye Gross plays a New Yorker who goes out to the town in Montana where he was born and raised called Big Eden (he's going out there to take care of his grandfather, who's ill). And while out there, his character has to deal with his feelings towards a man he had a relationship with. And the new feelings of an Native American man who falls in love with him. It's a sweet movie (and I wished everyone was as accepting of gay people as everyone in Big Eden seem to be). It's one of my favorite LGBT themed movies.

 

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212815/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

[DougieB]

Hey, terrya-

Don't you love this forum which the TCM moderators have just carved out for us? In the past, every time we tried to get a gay-themed thread going in General Discussions or elsewhere, we got piled on by people who either weren't serious about the discussion or were mildly to strongly opposed to it. So far this is shaping up to be a nice place to have those discussions without it turning rowdy. Yes yes yes to "Big Eden".  Great choice.  I've heard it criticized for the fact that the town is so accepting, the point being I guess that it's simply not realistic. But I see the movie more as a fable which tries to model the kind of good behavior all communitires should strive for. Your choice of "sweet" to describe it is totally appropriate. (And sexy too.) I first saw it on Logo, but rented it shortly after so I could see it unedited. I don't mean to turn the discussion from "Big Eden", but have you seen "Were The World Mine", another movie about a community dealing with its gay members, this time with a strong fantasy element?

[terrya]

Hey DougieB,

 

I'm a newbie. I didn't really know about this forum when I posted Sunday in General Discussion about wishing TCM would show some LGBT themed films for Pride (I also didn't know that there was another thread on the same subject). I was told in that thread that I should "take my political correctness elsewhere" when I said I'm gay. TCM does have a rather large LGBT audience, so I didn't realize there are all kinds here on the message boards. Silly, naive me...

 

I just love "Big Eden". Yes, that's a good way to describe it...like a fable. As you said.  I have indeed seen "Were the World Mine". I saw it here in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre when it came out in theaters. And loved it. Yes, the fantasy element is there. And yes, it's also quite sexy. :-)

 

I suspect I'll be spending a lot time here in this forum. :-)

Hey, terrya-

Don't you love this forum which the TCM moderators have just carved out for us? In the past, every time we tried to get a gay-themed thread going in General Discussions or elsewhere, we got piled on by people who either weren't serious about the discussion or were mildly to strongly opposed to it. So far this is shaping up to be a nice place to have those discussions without it turning rowdy. Yes yes yes to "Big Eden".  Great choice.  I've heard it criticized for the fact that the town is so accepting, the point being I guess that it's simply not realistic. But I see the movie more as a fable which tries to model the kind of good behavior all communitires should strive for. Your choice of "sweet" to describe it is totally appropriate. (And sexy too.) I first saw it on Logo, but rented it shortly after so I could see it unedited. I don't mean to turn the discussion from "Big Eden", but have you seen "Were The World Mine", another movie about a community dealing with its gay members, this time with a strong fantasy element?

[joefilmone]

The movie is a pleasant gay fantasy- it's almost a musical with out a score.

[SilentVamp]

This will probably sound crazy but I was absolutely thrilled to see someone on here talking about this film.  I love it so much that I am probably bordering on insanity with it. 

 

I first found out about it years ago when my brother saw it.  He used to work late sometimes and he would come home and watch whatever was on TV.  Then he saw this movie that he liked so much and kept recommending.

 

A little while later it was a movie that was recommended to me through Netflix.  So I watched it.  It was at that time that I realized this was the movie that my brother was talking about.

 

Then I got my mother to watch it.  And she loved it.

 

My mother gave the DVD to my brother for his birthday last year and he was thrilled to get it. 

 

And, honestly, my mother and I have kind of turned it into a tradition to watch it around the holidays.

 

Personally, I think it is a damn good movie that doesn't get enough credit for being so.

 

There are so many arguments out there for different films that aren't "realistic" whether the theme is gay or straight.  And I don't know why a movie has to be realistic.  Or even has to have an unhappy ending.  What is wrong with a movie just being a movie - a story - once in a while?  Just a simple, happy, good story.  And if the whole town actually accepts all of the events that are taking place, so what?  It is just a movie. 

[joefilmone]

 

A behinds the scene short about making the film.

[DougieB]

Thanks, joe. It's good to know how intentional it was that the fictional community represents the better parts of human nature. The woman (producer?) who said she was drawn to it because it kept defeating her expectations really touched on what makes it so special. The fact that homophobia doesn't happen in this movie makes it clear that it never really has to.