Director: Michael D. Akers
Running Time: 89 mins
Certificate: NR
Release Date: October 23rd 2012
Disability isn’t one of film’s favourite subjects (with the notable exception of the likes of Untouchable) and it’s even rarer in gay cinema, partly because until recently LGBT-themed movies were so concerned with the subject of gay identity they didn’t have much room for anything else. While Morgan does indeed deal with issues of identity, it’s more interested in how those issues impact someone dealing with being paralysed than in coming to terms with their sexuality.
Morgan (Leo Minaya) is not long released from rehabilitation after having an accident during a bicycle race that resulted in him being paralysed below the waist. He’s certainly not happy about his new status but finds hope when he meets Dean (Jack Kesy) at the park, and the two begin a tentative flirtation that soon buds into a full-blown relationship. Morgan isn’t sure how to deal with love as a paralysed man, partly because he’s still unsure of his own body and doesn’t even know if he’ll ever be able to get an erection.
However while he starts to explore love, much of the rest of Morgan’s life is falling apart, especially when he becomes increasingly obsessed with re-entering the race he crashed in the year before, if only to prove he’s no different now even if he is in a wheelchair.
Morgan is an interesting if slightly uneven movie. The film is very keen to explore life after paralysis, delving into the fact that for some people in the immediate aftermath of a major accident, their entire sense of identity is thrown into disarray and they find it difficult to see anything in life other than through the prism of their disability. That’s certainly true of Morgan, who assumes everything everyone does around him is because he’s in a wheelchair. His determination to race again becomes increasingly obsessive and self-destructive, with the film understanding exactly why he wants to do it, even though it’s very obvious he’s mentally not in the right place to deal with it.
However while the film’s exploration of disability is relatively subtle and detailed, it’s slightly problematic that the love story is incredibly predictable. This is partially a problem because early on it seems the film is just going to be a very straightforward but endearing romance, so when it suddenly starts to veer away from that into darker more complicated territory, it slightly feels like you’ve dropped into a different movie.
While the movie doesn’t quite handle its predictable and more intense character study sides evenly, overall it’s still a good film. It does suffer from the low budget movie issues of inconsistent lighting, some of the actors not being that great and occasional audio problems, but largely it works well. Thankfully, Leo Minaya as Morgan is a strong heart to the film, spending most of the early part of the film ensuring empathy, so that as things fall apart and he starts to be horrible to those around him, you’re still on his side. Jack Kesy is also pretty good as love interest Dean, who has his own issues to deal with.
Morgan won several prizes on the LGBT film festival circuit, and it’s not too hard to see why, as while with many gay films you have to forgive them their shortcomings, Morgan actually gets you involved with the characters. Admittedly it does have problems, but its strengths outweigh them, ensuring this is a romance that’s also a serious look at dealing with the early stages of disability.
Overall Verdict: Morgan may have difficulty balancing its sweet but predictable romance with its more complex look at dealing with the mental side of becoming paralysed, but it’s involving and often surprisingly moving.
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
Is there a blue ray edition?
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like a Blu-ray version is available at the moment
Just saw ‘Morgan’ via Netflix on a whim and did a subsequent search for reviews. Very happy to have come across your excellent assessment. Gentle, though accurately stated. From my armchair it (Morgan) was unbalanced for a good portion but I felt engaged enough to stay on board. Glad that I did. My only argument would be the two leads. Minaya’s portrayal was heartfelt at times but more often teetered on the overly melodramatic. It was Kesy’s portrayal of Dean that gave their scenes gravity. He had little to work with via dialogue and yet offered a skilled performance.
Thanks again for your words. I look fwd to reading more.
I did not see this movie as unbalanced. I think its strength is that it deals with every day life. Although the romance is gay, life in the move doesn’t revolve around it. I like that. It shows gay men handle every day crises a like any other human being.