I Am Michael is true life story from executive producer Gus Van Sant starring James Franco and Zachary Quinto, and directed by Justin Kelly. Boyz film critic Jack Cline gives his verdict.
This provocative drama recounts the jarring journey of Michael Glatze, the gay activist who shocked everyone when he announced that he was no longer homosexual. Director-cowriter Justin Kelly tells his story with remarkable restraint. It’s clear where his opinions lie, but he keeps things on such an even keel that some viewers will find this hard to watch.
Michael (played unblinkingly by James Franco) edits a gay magazine in 1998 San Francisco, where he lives with his longterm boyfriend Bennett (Zachary Quinto). Outspoken about equal rights, he moves to Novia Scotia when Bennett gets a job there, and they bring the young Tyler (Charlie Carver) as a third guy into their relationship. Then a series of health issues and life events makes Michael question his faith, and he decides to embrace Christianity. He leaves Bennett, renounces homosexuality and begins training as a pastor, preaching about the evils of gays and lesbians. He even falls in love with Rebekah (Emma Roberts), who doesn’t have a problem with his past, as long as it stays there.
Yes, this is a troublesome story, to say the least. But it’s also a true one, and the filmmakers and actors tell it with honesty, although Kelly hints that Michael’s conversion is a result of deeper unresolved issues. For his part, Franco offers a beautifully nuanced turn as a guy who seems outwardly unbothered by the conflicting aspects of his life. His chemistry with Quinto is steamy, and both Quinto and Roberts adds some lovely angles to their roles.
The point is to get people thinking about these issues, and filmmaker Kelly tilts the balance in the final act, hinting strongly at Michael’s self-delusion. “In his mind, it’s simple,” Kelly says. “To him, it’s like ‘I am a Christian, the Bible is the word of God, so I have to be straight to go to heaven.’ It is in his personality to be extreme and dedicate himself wholly to a cause. He did it in his gay life and he did it again in his Christian life.”
Kelly readily shares credit with Franco, whom he met while working on the editing team for Gus Van Sant’s Milk. “It was four or five years later when I Am Michael came up as an idea,” Kelly says. “James and Gus wanted to see it get made, but they weren’t going to direct it themselves. So Gus thought of me, because one of my shorts was also about queer identity in the same the time period. And I lived in San Francisco. It was a roundabout, fortunate connection. The real Michael is very intelligent, charismatic and has this magnetic presence about him. He is a very likeable guy, and James has all of those qualities.”
After I Am Michael, Kelly and Franco reteamed again to make the gay porn thriller King Cobra, another true tale of queer identity. As Kelly says, the best stories are about people who “learn about themselves while trying to be someone else”
I Am Michael is out now on DVD from Matchbox.
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