Hot-weather Hollywood blockbusters have now cooled off, so the cineplex will be a quieter place for the next few months. But there can be intensity even in intimate films, as evidenced by the relationship drama Keep the Lights On.
Erik is a promising filmmaker whose “promise” is beginning to wear a little thin when we first encounter him talking on the phone, on a hookup line for men. This commitment-free shortcut to physical intimacy says a lot about Erik’s approach to life. He likes the start of things — follow-through is not his strong suit. Still, this particular hookup goes so well, he dares to hope for something more.
The man on the other end of the phone, Paul, meets up with Erik, but tells him, “I have a girlfriend … so don’t get your hopes up.” Nevertheless, they fall back into bed, and into a relationship passionate enough to surprise them both. Paul’s girlfriend falls by the wayside, while the men move in together — and stay together for nine years.
There is a glitch in the relationship, though. Paul does drugs — a lot of drugs. It’s his “little secret,” which he asks Erik to keep to himself because “people in the publishing business like to gossip.”
Filmmaker Ira Sachs reportedly modeled this story on his longtime relationship with literary agent Bill Clegg, who’s written his own book about struggling with addiction, so … well, don’t get your hopes up, at least about the couple on screen.
