Latter Days is another of the TLA Releasing films, written and directed by C. Jay Cox (no, this isn’t an intentionally comedic name!!) and starring Steve Sandvoss and Wes Ramsey playing it’s lead characters.

Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss) and Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey) are the two most opposite people in the world. Aaron is a young Elder (or a Mormon missionary) who wants to do his family proud and is quite passionate about his religion and film. Christian is a shallow WeHo waiter/party boy who only looks forward to bedding a new guy every night. After Aaron and three other missionaries move into the apartment across from Christian, his friends bet him $50 that he can’t get one of them to jump into the sack, so he instantly latches onto Aaron. There are two problems, though – Christian is falling in love with Aaron and the Mormons are not the biggest fans of the homosexual community. Once Aaron is discovered, the two have to go through trials of regret, loss, perseverance, and forgiveness if they both want to get to the thing that matters to them most: each other.

I’ve watched this film several times over the years, and I have to say, it is one of my favourite films across any genre. I find the script to be very well written; it adds a new depth to the traditional ‘coming out’ story that we continually get bombarded with when studios make ‘gay’ films for us; I actually do care about the characters and their story progression;  and it is a film which I can easily watch time and time again. It is such a great romance film if it can be considered as nothing else. It is reported that the film was made in just 24 days, which astounds me!

From the look of the extra features, director and writer C. Jay Cox seems to have penned this as an almost autobiographical picture, drawing from his own youth and experiences as Aaron, and then the man he became after living in L.A. as Christian.

I really like the music used in this film, though everytime that I’ve tried looking for it, I’ve been unsuccessful – if anybody knows of where I could pick up a copy of the soundtrack from I’d be most grateful!

If you’ve not already had a chance to see this film, I’d heartily recommend it!

Some of my favourite quotes also come from this movie:

[after having sex with Christian]
Elder Aaron Davis: Well, I’m already going to Hell for kissing you, so I may as well take the scenic route.

Christian: You want revelations engraved in gold and angels trumpeting down from heaven. What if this is it instead? Me telling you I love you, right here in the snow? I think that is pretty miraculous.

Elder Aaron Davis: Do you ever read the Sunday comics?
Lila: [confused] I beg your pardon?
[changes her mind]
Lila: Yes, of course the Sunday comics.
Elder Aaron Davis: Well, when I was a little kid, I use to put my nose right up to them. And I was just amazed because it looked like this mass of dots, and none of it made sense until I pulled back. Life looks like that mass of dots to me sometimes. None of it makes any sense, but I like to think that, from God’s perspective, life, everything – even this – make sense. It’s not just dots. Instead we’re all connected, and it’s beautiful and funny and good. This close we can’t expect it to make sense, not right now.

[first lines]
Elder Aaron Davis: When I first came to Los Angeles, It look like just this mass of dots… all jumbled and disconnected. It was pretty disorienting.

[final voiceover monologue]
Elder Aaron Davis: Sometimes it all still feels like a mass of dots. But more and more these days, I feel like we’re all connected. And it’s beautiful… and funny… and good.