Nobody in the Bahamas of Kareem Mortimer’s uneven debut feature seems comfortable with his or her sexuality. Gay people either retreat into self-loathing, like Johnny (Johnny Ferro), a wispy white art student, or lash out with homophobic violence or poisonous fundamentalist ranting, like Purple (Jason Elwood Hanna) and Reverend Ralph (Mark Ford) and just about every one else.
It’s kind of like the US 50 years ago, or maybe five years in the future. Even Romeo (Stephen Tyrone Williams), an easygoing musician, seems ready to deny his true nature when called to do so by his fearsome materfamilias. (Look for Tyler Perry if there’s a Hollywood remake.)
As for the straights, they’re torn by hatred or intolerance or fear as they promote a movement to bar gays from the idyllic island nation. All but Reverend Clyde (Van Brown), who believes that everyone falls under the rubric of the title. Despite the heavy-handedness and an abrupt, melodramatic plot turn, Mortimer achieves some genuine tragedy and triumph.
