Ganymede opens to a calming lake, but the score is tense as a single tear drops down the face of a man, smoking alone on a pier, before he jumps in, never to return. The man’s identity becomes clear later, but in the present day, we’re introduced to two very different teenagers who become drawn to one another. They create a juxtaposition between the two kinds of lives a gay person could be living. Kyle Culper (Pablo Castelblanco) is out and proud. He doesn’t have to hide who he is. A lot of people don’t understand how he does it, how he “gets away with it,” but he’s not doing anything, he says, he’s just being himself. He has the support of his mother (Sofia Yepes), whom he speaks Spanish with at home, and a schoolteacher (Anna Schlegal). Lee Fletcher (Jordan Doww), on the other hand, is a closeted wrestling star from a strict, deeply religious family. His mother (Robin Lively), father (Joe Chrest), and pastor (David Joechner) make Lee very aware that homosexuality is a sin.
The film, directed by Colby Holt and his husband Sam Probst, is built around the idea of a “ganymede”: an unrepentant homosexual man or boy, usually uncommonly beautiful, who is so deeply entwined with demonic forces that their homosexuality becomes strong enough to lure others into their midst. The pastor refers to it as a “demon disturbance.” Ganymede is more drama than horror, but the horror elements recur throughout. While coming to terms with his sexuality, Lee often hallucinates parts of his flesh falling off and sees a frightening creature. Not much happens with the latter, which can make it feel unwarranted at times, but it’s effective in symbolising Lee’s battle with his inner demons.
Ganymede is a well-made film with the washed-out colour palette often seen in low-budget films about small-town Christians ostracising people for their sexuality. Holt’s screenplay isn’t always strong, but it’s successful in examining its themes of religious fundamentalism and conversation therapy, as well as family trauma and high familial expectations. Though it occasionally borders on mawkish, the film does well to balance its horror elements with both tender and heart-wrenching moments.
So much progress has been made for same-sex attracted people over the last few decades that it makes you wonder if people are still interested in these stories—especially in the west. But the truth is that homophobia hasn’t gone anywhere. People still lead these lives and religion is still used as a reasonable excuse for bigotry, particularly in the US south, which is where this film is set. Ganymede is a fine film with a lot of heart and an impacting ending. It’s going to be nothing special for some, but everything for others in capturing a familiar experience that provides hope.
Ganymede will be released on VOD on 6th August.
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