What keeps us from being us? When it looks as though the world outside and all the people who live on this rock find something about you to be vulgar, even if you were living in a way that’s true to you, does it make things safer to keep those qualities hidden?
“Lavender Men” takes a stab at that question, as well as a few related ones, from the confines of a small theater. Following an evening of work on a play about Abraham Lincoln, the stage manager, after a short but quick series of shocking incidents, takes to fantasy as they seem to summon the ghosts of Lincoln himself and a possible love interest of the former president’s, Elmer.
From the point the world inside the film seems to transform at most of the whims of Taffeta (Roger Q. Mason), it becomes a constant challenge to comprehend the actual reality occurring within the film. Mason, also the writer of the original stage play as well as a co-writer beside Director Lovell Holder, is masterful in how they use a thespian’s imagination to such great extent.
As the hidden story of Abe (Pete Ploszek) and Elmer (Alex Esola) is told through a series of chapters, Taffeta is there through each happening, not only shifting the setting’s looks when need be, but also playing any additional parts as a way to keep eyes on the two spirits as well as move their story along. Each of the men correspond with Taffeta, whether pleading, attempting to understand their own situation, or the occasional humorous quip to their established world-maker.
While the imaginative circumstances play out, the audience comes to know in spurts what Taffeta’s interest is, showing painful moments alone along with harsh exchanges that continue to haunt the stage manager’s mind. As Abe and Elmer contend with their feelings about themselves and each other, so to is Taffeta about their feelings dealing with their body image, former loves and men who only seem to use them for a cheap thrill via dating apps. The stage play coming to life within the theater is no mistake, as each player’s circumstances mirrors the other in one form or another.
Mason’s portrayal of Taffeta is deeply sympathetic, as they depict the loneliness, longing and heartbreak of the stage manager with such deep emotion. The writer, acting in their own story, makes everything feel lived and hurtfully relatable, speaking beyond queerness to the daily trial of just trying to love yourself, even when it seems like society always has something to pick at.
Ploszek and Esola’s portrayals of the two friends turned eventual hidden lovers, whether true to history or just a possibility of the world Mason has created, give an amazing stage-to-screen performance. The budding love between the two is played up in such an unhurried manner that it is completely convincing by the time the “good stuff” happens, as Abe tells Taffeta during a teasing exchange. Even as each party involved knows the eventual end of the story, the two men draw the audience into their struggle to break fate.
The story does not have a simple way of asking “what if,” and there is a beauty in that, whether glowing or sorrowful. The use of Abe & Elmer’s past narratives and experiences serves only a slight purpose for Taffeta’s internal struggles, as a friend and a crush are used to house the Civil War spirits throughout the film. While a happier message does come at the end, there is still a mess left behind that Mason hands over to the audience in such a raw manner, one cannot just leave things be even as the credits roll, and we are better for it.
“Lavender Men” is sure to live in the consciousness of the viewer and their video playlist for a good while. We all have to find ways to face who we are in the light of day, and the experience can often be chaotic. However, it is incredible productions like Mason and Lovell’s that bring very relatable reminders to their viewers that they are not alone in their struggles, past or present, big or small, something we all need at one moment or another.
“Lavender Men” is now available for viewing on most streaming services.