The Rectangular View

The Story:

Bedrooms and Hallways is one of those movies that should feel dated, but doesn’t. It has a very 1980s feel although it came out in 1998 and has sexual themes that are more at home today than they were when the film was released.

The story revolves around Leo, played by Kevin McKidd, a gay man whose love life is going nowhere and joins a heterosexual men’s group to get in touch with his inner self. As you can guess, everything becomes a mess of sexual desire and longing. The director, Rose Troche, does a great job keeping the story from getting out of hand, and the script by Robert Ferrar never rings false. It also helps that the cast is top notch.

Tom Hollander is Leo’s uber gay roommate who is having a tawdry affair with a highly sexual real estate agent played by Hugo Weaving. James Purfoy plays the gay curious Brendon and Jennifer Ehle is Brendon’s girlfriend. Con O’Neill plays a man riddled with jealousy and sexual confusion so well that you actually enjoy when he shows up.

In the end this is a romantic comedy that discusses sexual desire, repressed longing and people trying to live up to the labels society places upon them. The script keeps things light and thankfully doesn’t try to make sense of any of it. The story is so much fun that you go with it, much like the characters. In the hands of a lesser cast, director, and crew, this would have been a slog to get through, but everybody involved is on the same page and in top form.

Final Thoughts:

Bedrooms and Hallways is a pure delight and has an ending that will leave some people scratching their heads. This was my third time seeing it and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Like its topic, this movie never gets old.