Midway through this movie one character asks another, "How did you cope with being gay?", then adds, "...with all the incredible freedom that comes with it?". This one question exemplifies all that is great about 'Circuit', not least it's refreshing honesty, and non-judgmental approach to the subject at it's heart.
As we follow these characters through the miasma of the circuit parties, we are taken on a ride few of us will experience for real, and the success of the film lies in the ability to draw us into that world, to paint three dimensional characters, and to show us the truth. That is what we get. The film pulls no punches and shows both the uppers and downers of the scene without either glamourising or moralising. As we sit uncomfortably through the scenes of gratuitous drug abuse it is easy to be judgmental, and yet, it's also very easy to see how this 'seductive and liberating' world can be an uplifting and life changing experience. The great sex scenes, and hedonistic parties are just as intoxicating to the viewer as they are to those involved. As friendships break down new ones are started, and even those who are no longer part of the party circuit are still susceptible to the same emotional upheavals as those who are.
All the performances in the film are commendable, not least Andre Khabbazi, as the narcissistic hustler, Hector, with his finger permanently poised on self-destruct. His is the central performance that brings everyone in the film together. Wade-Drahos' John is almost too wide-eyed and innocent for my liking but you can see the character change before your eyes, going through an almost cathartic experience with him. Possibly the most incongruous part of the film are the two "names", William Katt and Nancy Allen, who struggle with two underwritten parts not too far away from Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore in "Boogie Nights" - even down to the hairstyles. These two, the party organiser and his wife, don't slip easily into the mix, and come off as merely a plot device to fuel Hector's downfall.
Despite it's budgetary limitations, and the disappointingly trite ending, with everyone watching the first screening of the documentary that has been shot during the course of the film, 'Circuit' is still a bold and original movie, with an unsentimental and adult approach that would be virtually non-existent in a mainstream American movie.
As we follow these characters through the miasma of the circuit parties, we are taken on a ride few of us will experience for real, and the success of the film lies in the ability to draw us into that world, to paint three dimensional characters, and to show us the truth. That is what we get. The film pulls no punches and shows both the uppers and downers of the scene without either glamourising or moralising. As we sit uncomfortably through the scenes of gratuitous drug abuse it is easy to be judgmental, and yet, it's also very easy to see how this 'seductive and liberating' world can be an uplifting and life changing experience. The great sex scenes, and hedonistic parties are just as intoxicating to the viewer as they are to those involved. As friendships break down new ones are started, and even those who are no longer part of the party circuit are still susceptible to the same emotional upheavals as those who are.
All the performances in the film are commendable, not least Andre Khabbazi, as the narcissistic hustler, Hector, with his finger permanently poised on self-destruct. His is the central performance that brings everyone in the film together. Wade-Drahos' John is almost too wide-eyed and innocent for my liking but you can see the character change before your eyes, going through an almost cathartic experience with him. Possibly the most incongruous part of the film are the two "names", William Katt and Nancy Allen, who struggle with two underwritten parts not too far away from Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore in "Boogie Nights" - even down to the hairstyles. These two, the party organiser and his wife, don't slip easily into the mix, and come off as merely a plot device to fuel Hector's downfall.
Despite it's budgetary limitations, and the disappointingly trite ending, with everyone watching the first screening of the documentary that has been shot during the course of the film, 'Circuit' is still a bold and original movie, with an unsentimental and adult approach that would be virtually non-existent in a mainstream American movie.