Leviticus
Leviticus
Starring Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt
Directed by Adrian Chiarella
Naim Reed (Joe Bird) and his mother Arlene (Mia Wasikowska) just moved to a religious, rural town in Victoria, Australia, after Naim's father died. He is befriended by fellow classmate Ryan Whelan (Stacy Clausen), and one day while exploring an abandoned mill the two reveal mutual feelings for one another. This doesn't fly in such a small, religious town, and soon the pastor of the church brings in a "deliverance" leader who attempts to deliver the boys from their sinful ways.
Soon after the conversion therapy, both boys begin seeing visions of each other that only they can see, and only happens when they're alone. These doppelgangers at first show love and affection, but soon try to kill the boys. They discover that this entity takes the form of who they most desire, and it seems that there's no way to stop it - even if they split up, this entity will hunt them the rest of their lives.
"Leviticus" is a powerful coming-of-age horror movie that exposes the dangers of conversion therapy with a horrific twist, as Naim and Ryan are hunted by evil versions of themselves after forcibly undergoing the therapy. While they're frightened of their evil counterparts, the town as a whole doesn't seem to care - especially Naim's mother, who seemingly knew what would happen and would rather have her son being hunted by an evil force his whole life instead of accepting him for who he is.
This film serves as a visual representation of how young LGBTQ teens feel in a world that demands they conform to their narrow-minded Biblical view at any cost, resulting in them essentially hating themselves for their natural inclinations. They live with a self-hatred that goes unnoticed by the general world because either they never told anyone, or those they told are happy they're going through these things because it'll eventually "save" them. In reality, it just makes things much worse.
Joe Bird, best known for his supporting role in the equally-stunning Aussie film "Talk to Me," takes center stage for the first time as Naim, and he expertly shows what it's like being a teen going through these feelings for the first time, and the isolation it causes. He's only drawn to Ryan, but when he sees evil Ryan around, he tries to turn away from him, but can't because of the bond the two share. Ryan is the only one he can be real with, and it hurts him more than anything to be attacked by his evil entity. His mother - played by an unrecognizable Mia Wasikowska - is cold, unfeeling, and more than willing to let Naim deal with this demon alone because she wants a normal son. The entire film is shot through Naim's perspective, and there's hardly a scene where he's not in it, which adds to the emotional depth of the movie. This isn't a generic "search the library for how to stop this demon" movie, but rather one where Naim has to learn to contend with this entity haunting him, and how he chooses to let it affect his relationship with Ryan.
Relative newcomer Stacy Clausen rounds out this duo as Ryan, a more tough, secure character than Naim's naive nature, and perfectly balances the two. He is the first that's haunted by the vision of Naim, and we never see him interact with him, only through Naim's eyes as he sees Ryan talking with someone unseen. Since Naim is the main focus of the movie, we don't know a lot about Ryan other than his feelings toward Naim, but that's enough to give him a developed character arc.
This isn't a pitch-perfect movie, but one that you appreciate after seeing it a second time, answering questions you have after the first viewing, or at least it did for me. Leaving the movie the first time I had some questions, but after seeing it again I could understand more the director's vision and the path he took to get there, showing two young men in love and dealing with the repercussions of that in a cold, detached world that would rather see them suffer than love who they want to. To that end, it's refreshing that it's not another generic ghost/entity haunting, but learning to live with your inner demons (or at least how others see it) and loving who you choose to love regardless.
The Score: A+
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