Much of contemporary gay cinema seems to fall into a few categories: 1) atrocities endured by closeted  teens, 2) coming out, 3) passionate first loves, and 4) unrequited love for a straight friend that’s never reciprocated. While many of these stories are beautifully told, I can no longer relate to them because it seems like a distant past. Yes, I’ve experienced the aforementioned LGBT tropes in my own life, but where are the stories about confident and complex gay men struggling with their relationships like their heterosexual counterparts?

 

Stone Fruit  follows Russ and Manny, an interracial couple that have drifted apart in their marriage and we meet them when they have seemingly come to terms with their decision to divorce at the start of their final trip together. They head to wine country in the central coast of California where, over several hilltop hikes and generous wine tastings, Russ and Manny delve into the moments and people that shaped their growth and eventual demise.

 

The film reflects my current life in the Bay Area. It reflects many of friends’. It explores a genre of anti-romantic comedies, the break-up movie, from a markedly queer perspective and under the recent advent of same-sex divorce and provides a quiet nuanced exploration of the dynamics of interracial relationships and the distinct issues facing a generation of gay men post-AIDS, post-marriage equality, post-recession.

 

Most mainstream audiences don’t get to see gay men the way I’m lucky enough to see them. We’re usually relegated to the wastelands of asexual best friend, perverted antagonist, outrageous comic foil, or an object to be pitied. Like any universal story, Stone Fruit is a chance to show people outside of the LGBT community that we’re here, we’re queer, and we argue and love just like you.

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