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Ganymede (2024)

Ganymede (2024)

A closeted teen deals with Christian homophobia in a queer drama that falters in its horror

6.0

Movie

United States of America
English, Spanish
Drama, Horror, Thriller
2024
COLBY HOLT, SAM PROBST
Brady Gentry, David Koechner, Joe Chrest
97 min

TLDR

I wish they leaned in more with the horror.

What it's about

After small-town wrestling star Lee Fletcher IV develops a crush on openly gay Kyle Culper, Lee gets stalked by a grotesque creature that pops every time he tries to navigate his sexuality while trying to live up to the expectations of his traditional, Christian fundamentalist family.

The take

Horror doesn’t have the best track record with homosexuality, as anything considered as the other are often alluded to in making its monsters, but in Ganymede, the script is flipped– Lee’s love for Kyle is portrayed in the most peaceful and calming of ways, while the harshly spat homophobic beliefs Lee’s dad beats into his family manifests into grotesque demons. It’s a novel idea, one that smartly suggests that forcing yourself in the closet forms a hell of one’s own making, but the way the film is executed gives Ganymede an uneven tone, especially since co-directors Colby Holt and Sam Probst don’t seem to know what to do with the film’s horror elements.

What stands out

They never really resolve the demonic hallucinations Lee has… They just disappear, which honestly is concerning in real life, because hallucinations are usually a sign of psychosis.

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