Love In The Time Of The Civil War

"Can I eat your ass?" is the first line spoken in Rodrigue Jean's harsh, hellish, wholly absorbing film "Love in the Time of Civil War" ("L'Amour au temps de la guerre civile"). No punches are pulled in this arresting feature, where chasing the next high almost always means another sexual encounter.

The opening sequence sees two skanky, sexy French-Canadian dudes doing drugs together in a seedy apartment. The high begets some intense sex, which leads to tricking to get money, which leads to the search for more drugs, which leads to more sex, which leads to... okay, we get it. And we do get it -- over and over again.

The two hot messes are Alex (Alexandre Landry) and Bruno (Jean-Simon Leduc). The camera will soon follow homeless Alex as he drives a (rented) car for a drug dealer and his moody girlfriend, hustles for money, scores more drugs, has more sex and -- wait, I made the same repetitive point in the last paragraph, didn't I?

Eventually Alex and Bruno will reunite for some intense drug use and hot sex (okay, been there, said and done that). The redundancy is deliberate and, oddly, never really dull. We do become desensitized by the nudity even when the sexual scenes continue to titillate.

Jean's film underscores the notion that the life of an addict is about the here and now and scoring whatever substance they can, and having as much sex as possible. "Straight" guys will get blown and rimmed by other guys, as long as drugs are involved. And even junkies who dislike one another will share their stash; on the other hand if you look away for too long, your best bud will steal from you, all for that fleeting euphoric high.

The screenplay, by Ron Ladd, is episodic and, as I more than inferred earlier, repetitious. The cinematography, by Mathieu Laverdiere, boasts invasive close-ups and frustratingly teasing camera jerks and shifts.

What keeps us glued to the screen is the lead performance. Alexandre Landry wholly embodies Alex, warts and more warts. It's a painfully realistic turn that sears the screen. Alex has fallen into his own abyss. He's a bit of a robot. But because Landry allows us tiny glimpses into whom Alex could be if he wasn't stoned all the time, we can't help but feel compassion for him (even when we can't empathize with him).

Jean-Simon Leduc is just as good in a smaller but pivotal part.

The film can be viewed as a demented, brutal rom-com, if you (like the characters) are on crack or you just have a warped sensibility. I kept wondering what the guys onscreen must smell like.

And just when you think the film is taking a "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" left turn, it surprises by delivering a curious, enigmatic ending that forces a reinterpretation of the title.

Frank J. Avella is a proud EDGE and Awards Daily contributor. He serves as the GALECA Industry Liaison and is a Member of the New York Film Critics Online. His award-winning short film, FIG JAM, has shown in Festivals worldwide (figjamfilm.com). Frank's screenplays have won numerous awards in 17 countries. Recently produced plays include LURED & VATICAL FALLS, both O'Neill semifinalists. He is currently working on a highly personal project, FROCI, about the queer Italian/Italian-American experience. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. https://filmfreeway.com/FrankAvella https://muckrack.com/fjaklute

This story is part of our special report: "Wicked Queer: Boston LGBTQ Film Festival". Want to read more? Here's the full list.