Suffering Man's Charity -- a david_b_daily exclusive! :D

“You can’t even spell cock!” -- Alan Cumming to David in Suffering Man's Charity.

He doesn't need to spell.

Yeah, I figured my take on the film is perfect for this comm.



Twisted, brutally funny, and slightly disturbing, Suffering Man’s Charity is a nifty little skin-crawl of a film. An affectionate homage to Grand Guignol theater (in which bloody horror stories alternated with comedies), this way over the top movie features some truly terrific performances. The story’s been done before – think along the lines of Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? -- with a twist: the lead character is an unsympathetic gay man.

In a post-screening discussion, Alan Cumming noted that he wanted to portray an unlikable gay man to break through what he feels is the current trend of showing “nice, sweet gay people.” His John Vandermark is a shrill, narcissistic music teacher with a penchant for struggling male artists. His latest project and the object of his unrequited lust is Sebastian St. Germain (David), who is as narcissistic as Vandermark, but unlike him actually seems to have some talent. Enter jealousy, Christmas lights, lingerie and a cello bow and this movie goes to hell in a rusty bucket -- which is exactly what Cumming was aiming for.

Vandermark is a hateful little prick, and Sebastian isn’t much better.

Serious Spoilers Ahoy

There’s a boatload of subtext in David’s two sex scenes; in the first, he’s sitting with a big name NY publisher (Anne Heche) and gets up in mid-conversation, flashes a smouldering glance toward another pretty woman in the room who, no dope she, follows him. They wind up in the bathroom, and before she can say “But I don’t even know your name,” he’s turned her to the wall and is shtupping her in the ass. Which, a few scenes later, he attempts to do to Karen Black (who was creepy and amazing), but they’re both too drunk to get much accomplished. I also loved that Sebastian was so excited about the possiblity about getting published that he had to fuck something -- and I meant to say something, because I didn't get the sense that there were human beings on the end of his prick. He could have been jerking off. Tres cool, in a very jaundiced world-view sort of way. (I love you, Alan Cumming. just sayin'.)

The sex scenes were raw and real and Sebastian really felt like a sleazy hustler; I felt for Vandermark as he confronted him over his indifference – but in one of the movie’s many turns, Vandermark’s cruelty overrides any sympathy he might be due.

And here’s where it gets weird: he was funny. Jaw-droppingly, savagely funny.

Sebastian is a manwhore with dreams of greatness who's written a book about a manwhore with delusions of grandeur; he literally gets laid by just showing up; and he fucks everyone but the one man who adores him – which ultimately drives Vandermark over the edge.

Once Sebastian is trussed in a black bra and panty set a nasty trivia game ensues: for every answer Sebastian gets wrong, he gets slapped with the bow. He gets slapped a lot. Cumming is at his histrionic best here, furious in one breath that his paramour ‘has the IQ of a rag’ and then quirkily tender in the next. Think Dru with a dick.

David’s performance here was unreal – he makes more snot that a 3 year old with a cold – his panic was palpable. And if you’re expecting him to be sexy in the lingerie, forget it. There are a couple of brief shots of his tushie which will be cap-worthy come DVD time, but in the context of the film the shots were chilling. There are two unbearably brief, very hot moments between them that are worth sitting through the torture scenes, for me, at least.

Sebastian’s ghost scenes reminded me a bit of Angelus but mostly of Luc Crash, which isn’t a bad thing because we’re seeing Sebastian through Vandermark’s twisted vision, so he’s dumber, fiercer, and more threatening than he was when he was alive.

This is a crumbling mess of a movie – in a good way. It’s fascinating in the way ruined old mansions can be, all curious musty smells and rotting beams and unsavory surprises. It’s not perfect, but it’s not meant to be. David is strangely right for this movie – he takes wild risks and delivers a fine performance. Best yet, hands down. I can’t wait to see what he does next. That said, I would buy this movie without him in it – that’s how interesting (in a fluffy, quasi-David Lynchian sort of way. Like Blue Velvet without the huffing and the "Mommy...." and the Roy Orbison. Um.) I found it.

So much for my $.02 -- would love to discuss finer points with anyone else who's seen it!