Director: Rob Moretti
Running Time: 94 mins
Certificate: NR
Release Date: January 10th 2014, May 26th 2014 (UK DVD)
Caleb (Sean Paul Lockhart) is a young man trying to put a very difficult upbringing behind him. His mother spent his childhood abusing him and calling him a ‘pussy’ and ‘fag’, before she abandoned him and ended up being institutionalised due to her mental health issues.
Caleb meets Jeremy (Rob Moretti) on the internet, and despite his uncertainty, the two have soon fallen head over heels for one another. Caleb is reluctant to trust anyone, feeling everyone he’s ever cared about has ended up abandoning him, but slowly he allows Jeremy in, who is keen to tell Caleb he will always be there for him. However when Caleb discovers Jeremy has been keeping major secrets, things soon unravel in very dangerous ways – indeed we know from very early on in the movie that Caleb has been locked up and something very serious has happened between him and Jeremy.
In the past couple of years gay-themed movies have started to broaden the types of genres they’ve dipped into. Just a few months ago Sean Paul Lockhart (and yes, he did indeed used to be twink porn star Brent Corrigan) starred in another gay thriller, Triple Crossed, which also marked his directorial debut. Now he takes the lead in this film, opposite Truth’s writer/director, Rob Moretti. These thrillers certainly make a welcome change from the usual gay rom-coms, arty flicks and angsty dramas.
It’s a decent movie that certainly keeps you watching as you try to figure out exactly what has happened between Caleb and Jeremy, as well as why. Lockhart is coming into his own as an actor, and while I doubt we’ll ever see him getting an Oscar he has far more presence and assurance than he did in his earliest non-porn roles.
Truth also attempts to create complex characters with psychological depth, but this does cause a few issues, largely because of a lack of clarity in the script. There are moments when the film almost seems to be blaming people for their mental issues, although thankfully it normally pulls away from this before it takes it too far.
More problematic is whether it wants to sympathise with Caleb or not. Towards the end there’s the edge of it becoming a rather disturbing revenge fantasy, where the movie can’t decide whether Jeremy is getting what’s coming to him – despite the extremes Caleb takes it to – or if he’s the victim. It appears the movie wants it to be a bit of both, but it’s difficult not to feel someone’s working through a few past relationship issues with this movie, with the audience slightly left stuck in the middle.
Even so, it’s very watchable and pretty entertaining, with a couple of sexy sequences and a plot that keeps you hooked. However you may not know quite what to think at the end.
Overall Verdict: Truth may have a few issues towards the end, but it’s largely an entertaining, sexy and sometimes a little disturbing thriller that will keep you watching.
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
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