Set to the backdrop of grey skies and the dampness of an out of season Isle of Sheppey, Uncle David (David Hoyle) and his nephew Ashley (Ashley Ryder) are holed up in a claustrophobic caravan together.

Jaded with life, the older man repeatedly sermonises and rages against the conformist morons he sees all around him. The world is a contemptible place and its inhabitants are slaves to its corrupt system. In Uncle David’s eyes, Ashley is a divine being, an innocent who must be saved from the rotten forces all around.

Ashley most certainly is naïve. As he soaks up every word like a damp sponge he is slowly being indoctrinated into believing that his uncle is the oracle of truth and has the answers to life’s huge questions and moral dilemmas. He’s being groomed but we’re not sure what for.

The intimacy between David and his nephew makes for uneasy viewing right from the beginning – the snuggling up on the sofa, the caresses, kisses on the lips. David treats Ashley as though he were a six-year old when he most definitely isn’t. He might have the mental age of a toddler, but physically he’s a strapping, buff young man. As relatives this is disturbing enough, but when it’s revealed they are also lovers Hoyle is deliberately tapping into the inner Daily Mail reader in us all.

Cabaret star Hoyle, famously known as the ‘anti-drag queen’ Divine David, put his controversial alter ego to rest in 2000 and holed himself up in his Manchester flat to seriously rethink his life. Reflection complete, he returned to performance with a small part in Chris Morris’s Nathan Barley and then became heavily involved in 2005’s ‘It’s Queer Up North’ festival.

Unsurprisingly, Hoyle is out to shock. Anyone who has seen his previous work would find it odd if he weren’t. Despite our initial response of disgust and moral outrage and whether we sympathise with David’s actions or not, he makes such outrageously dark statements it’s impossible not to find these monologues hilarious for their pure audacity alone.

Uncle David is co-directed with Gary Reich and Mike Nicholls and porn star Ryder is named as a co-creator. It reminded me of Gregg Araki’s Mysterious Skin. It doesn’t have that film’s aesthetic beauty but it invokes a queasy unease in viewers who will find themselves equally abhorred and delighted at what they are watching. Challenging, provocative and often agonising to sit through, this is a brilliant piece of work that leads you up the garden path before swerving off in a completely different direction.

Read The Uncle David Summary »

Click for the full summary including verdict, synopsis, trailer and queer ratings.

Uncle David
Studio: Peccadillo Pictures
Released: 5 December 2011
ASIN: B005FXO616 

Buy Uncle David online now and save.