Seldom has the release of a gay-oriented movie on DVD and video been greeted with such an illustrious "How do you do?" as Thomas Bezucha's "Big Eden." Winner of the Jury Award at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the Audience Award at the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, this sweet, finely drawn film has apparently warmed the cockles of many a gay viewer.And why not? Its hero, Henry Hart (Arye Gross), is a New York City artist about to have his big gallery opening when he receives a phone call. His ailing grandpa (George Coe) is on his death bed in the very small town of Big Eden, Montana. To hell with fame and success -- family is what counts! So off Henry runs to his closeted past.
The good news is that Grandpa will survive. The bad news is that Henry's childhood crush, the hunky Dean Stewart (Tim DeKay), has also returned. A muscular father of two who's now single, the supposedly straight Dean seems to be flirting with Henry. Can this mean ...? Adding to the drama is shy Native American Pike Dexter (Eric Schweig), who really has the hots for Henry. So who will get our boy? And whom will our boy get?
With a sparkling supporting cast that includes Louise Fletcher and the delicious Nan Martin, "Big Eden" looks at small-town life through rose-colored glasses -- and isn't that the best way to see the world sometimes?
First-time writer/director Thomas Bezucha has been named one of Variety's "10 Screenwriters to Watch." As a former vice president of creative services for Coach and a senior director of creative services at Polo/Ralph Lauren, you can bet that what's hanging in Thomas' closets is to die for. A real high point in his precelluloid career was designing and installing Sharon Stone's Beverly Hills screening room, which you no doubt drooled over in Architectural Digest. Now you can drool over his "Big Eden" time and again in your own little nook and cranny.
What does it mean to you that "Big Eden" is coming out now on video and DVD, with all these special features included?
It's thrilling to me, because I've always felt that this was where we ultimately would find our home. This is where the most people would see it. That's, of course, the goal: to get as many as people to see it as possible. I'm thrilled with our distributor, Wolfe Video, which really sort of encouraged us to go back and do these extensive cast interviews and talk about the issues of the movie. Wolfe has just been great. "Big Eden's" the first gay title ever to be released on a double DVD disc.
Were all your friends who knew you in your former incarnations shocked at how talented you are as a director?
[Laughs] I think the talent issue is still debatable. I think the marvel that they feel is in the fact that I got it done at all. The field I was working in was a very visual field. So stepping into film, I felt comfortable being able to articulate my vision and sort of delegate the work to a number of people. The only aspect of it that made me nervous was working with actors, because that was something I had never done. I just got lucky and chose really great people.
You also had an Oscar-winner (Louise Fletcher). On the set, did you fake it, making believe you were powerful and knew exactly everything you wanted to do?
No. I knew I had enough sort of corporate experience to know what I was doing. But to a certain extent, yeah, you fake it, which to me means just putting one foot in front of the other and having the faith that you will arrive at your goal. But in another sense, I knew from my corporate experience that the worst thing you can do is to pretend you know something you don't know. So I was pretty honest about what I didn't know.
I just interviewed the director of "The Full Monty," who turned down all these Hollywood offers after that film's success. He instead decided to make an even smaller film. Does Hollywood knock on your door, or are you still in the same boat as you were before you directed "Big Eden"?
A little bit of both. I was approached a great deal after "Big Eden." I turned a number of things down just because the second step is always the most important, and I've been reluctant to make a misstep. So I'm waiting until the fall to direct the other piece I wrote.
But also because of your previous career, you have a nice little nest egg, so you don't have to be desperate. You can really be true to your art.
God bless.
Now for our readers, are you single?
Yes.
That's a shock.
At the moment.
And you're on the West Coast, right? California?
Yes.
Have you ever considered yourself a gay activist? Or just a gay person true to yourself?
In a sense, I think any gay person who's true to himself and out is in some form or another an activist. I was involved with ACT-UP actually when I lived in New York. I was arrested at City Hall demonstrations. ...
But you know, the activism thing has always been interesting to me because I've always sort of hoped that in its innocuousness, "Big Eden" was somehow subversive.
Well, I enjoyed it, and I know so many people who love it. Hopefully, I'll be interviewing you soon for your next film. That should be out the end of 2003? Early 2004?
It will probably come out around the holidays in 2003.
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