Queerly Ever After #11: BACK SOON (2007)

Queerly Ever After is a bi-monthly column where I take a look at LGBT+ films that gave their characters a romantic happily-ever-after. There will be spoilers.

It’s Halloween season, so in honor of spooktober (is that a thing anyone says?) here is a movie that, while it’s not a horror or Halloween-themed movie, sort of has a ghost. Sort of is the best way to describe the apparition in this movie because it’s a really strange plot. With all that said, let me introduce you to the truly odd movie that is Rob Williams‘ (no, not Robin Williams the famous comedian, but Rob Williams the gay filmmaker who will have several other movies appear in this column) Back Soon.

Back Soon follows Logan Foster (Windham Beacham) an aspiring actor in Los Angeles who, following the death of his wife Adrianne (Maggie McCollester) to a drunk driver, decides he can no longer live in the home they shared and puts it on the market. Enter Gil Ramirez (Matthew Montgomery), a man, who after experiencing a near death experience following being shot, is trying to escape his drug dealing past. Gil feels drawn to Logan’s house for some inexplicable reason, the moment he sees it’s on the market he makes an offer, Logan sensing that he can trust Gil, immediately accepts.

Two Men and a House

Usually, when someone buys a house, they don’t befriend the previous homeowner, oftentimes they never even meet the previous homeowner, but Logan and Gil feel drawn to each other and start a tentative friendship. One night, after getting dinner, Logan’s car breaks down, so he goes back home with Gil (to his old house, Gil’s new house), and this is when things take a turn for the interesting.

While sleeping downstairs on the couch, Logan is roused by the apparition of his dead wife, she leads him, in a trance, upstairs to Gil’s bedroom where he wakes Gil and kisses him, thus knocking him out of his trance-like state. Instead of retreating from what just happened, the two give in to their mutual attraction and have sex.

In the cold light of day, they must reconcile what just happened with what they previously thought about themselves. Both men have always considered themselves straight, and until each other, had never felt drawn romantically or sexually to another man. They both agree, they can’t really consider themselves straight anymore, but they don’t really think they’re bisexual either. They do believe that the attraction between them is powerful enough that they want to give a relationship a chance.

I think this might be one of the few films that actually depicts characters who are pansexual, and Williams is probably trying to make a statement on the fluidity of sexuality and how sometimes you fall for someone just because of who they are. That would be a powerful statement, and it would elevate this pretty mediocre (albeit entertaining) movie to something more, but whatever statement the filmmaker is trying to make is undone by the ill-advised supernatural plot-twist that is to come.

Two Men and a Ghost?

And now for the supernatural plot twist. While over at Logan’s new home Gil sees a photo of Adrianne and is immediately taken aback. He realizes that he has seen her before, in fact he met her. As it would turn out, he was shot the same night that she was hit by a drunk driver and they ended up at the same hospital. No, they didn’t meet in person, but in some astral plane their souls met when Adrianne died and Gil briefly died before doctors were able to bring him back.

Somehow, instead of letting Adrianne’s soul pass on to the afterlife, Gil pulled her back with him, so both his soul and hers are currently inhabiting his body, thus explaining why he was so drawn to her home. This throws into question whether the two men are actually attracted to each other or is it Adrianne overtaking Gil.

Personally, I lean towards the theory that the two are attracted to each other and Adrianne, sensing that, decides to use her power to pull them together so her husband can move on with someone new. Sure, that could be a really strong statement about a woman who wants her widowed husband to find love again, decides that the person she wants him to be with is another man, but that’s not really the statement this film is trying to make. Once again, another chance to make a powerful statement on sexuality is missed.

Of course, Adrianne cannot inhabit Gil’s body with him forever, and one night Gil is visited by his former gang leader Oscar (Danny Aguirre). Oscar blames Gil for the three years he has spent in prison and has come for vengeance. In a surefire way to ensure he doesn’t go back to jail, this time for longer than three years, he shoots Gil. As doctors work on saving Gil’s life, again, he briefly dies, again, and back in this astral plane his soul says goodbye to Adrianne’s soul, allowing her to move on before he reenters the land of the living.

You’re probably now thinking wait, isn’t this supposed to be a movie with a romantic happily-ever-after? Yes, yes it is. After Gil wakes up from surgery Logan comes in to see him, although they both know Adrianne is no longer sharing space in Gil’s body, Logan and Gil decide they still feel that pull of attraction and want to give the relationship another chance.

There are some other odd subplots in this movie, like Adrianne’s former colleagues who all want to date Logan, and Adrianne’s offensive brother who has apparently been harboring a crush on Logan. There is also an attempt at starting a discussion on racism that fails to go anywhere.

Back Soon: In Conclusion

Back Soon is certainly an enjoyable bad movie; despite its wooden acting, strange blocking, and clear reusing of the same sets for just about every location, it’s a fun watch.

If you want to watch a movie that succeeds in making a powerful statement on sexual fluidity and also loss, watch Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd, which I covered in an earlier Queerly Ever After, or  Christophe Honoré’s Love Songs, which will be covered in a future entry, instead.

Watch Back Soon