Homeward bound
With Leaving Metropolis, Brad Fraser keeps one foot in Canada
PREVIEW
LEAVING METROPOLIS
Starring Troy Ruptash, Vincent Corazza, Lynda Boyd
Written and Directed by Brad Fraser
Thursday, October 3
Globe Cinema
As I unlock the secret password to reach Brad Fraser in an L.A. hotel room, I fear he may answer as a Hollywood clone. The award-winning playwright of Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love and Poor Superman has crossed the border a lot over the last 10 years, dividing time between L.A. and Toronto while writing for Walt Disney, Fox and now this season’s Queer As Folk, for which he will also act as story editor.
Fortunately, the Brad Fraser I reach on the other end seems entirely unaffected by Hollywood, and although he’s sold his home in Edmonton, he hasn’t lost his Albertan roots. Returning to Calgary next week to screen Leaving Metropolis, his first feature as director, one thing is noticeably different – "Bad Boy" Brad is mellowing out.
At least, mellowing as much as Brad Fraser can. In Leaving Metropolis, the film adaptation of Poor Superman, Fraser’s quick-witted dialogue, unfulfilled characters and sexual situations return to focus. This time, however, there’s a certain restraint: Fraser had a "no black" rule on the set, and he has incorporated a bright background of primary colours, pop art and a little less nudity.
"So far, the reaction has been, 'We were expecting something more controversial and confrontational’ – mostly from English Canada," says Fraser. "Well, I’m 43, and I’m getting really tired of that image. I don’t think Canada’s ever been as outwardly hostile about gay material as the U.S., but there’s a more insidious homophobia going on, especially in the press. The fact is, the English-Canadian press too easily dismisses you as an instigator or passes the work off as shit when all you are trying to do is tell a truth. And telling the truth is often the worst thing you can do."
Telling Poor Superman’s truths was no easy feat. Fraser struggled for five years to find funding to turn his 1994 hit play into a film. The problem? A script that received a mixed response from what Fraser refers to as "mostly straight men" in the film industry. Despite receiving offers from other directors interested in the project, Fraser was keen on taking a stab at it himself, having already directed the play before mentoring with Denys Arcand on the set of Love and Human Remains.
The results stay faithful to the original, minus the monologues. David (Troy Ruptash) is a bored, successful painter who, looking for some inspiration, decides to become a waiter. He takes a job at a local diner owned by Matt (Vincent Corazza) and Violet (Cherilee Taylor), whose marriage begins to crumble as Matt and David magnetize. In for the ride are David’s best friends, Kryla (Lynda Boyd), a jaded journalist, and the transsexual Shannon (Thom Allison), who battles an HIV-related, opportunistic infection. Each character’s life is paralleled with Superman, who at the time is marrying Lois Lane and struggling to reveal his true identity. Still, the original title didn’t stick.
"Warner Brothers would have been so far up our ass for using it," says Fraser. "It didn’t matter if Superman had one or two words – if we went ahead, they made it clear that they would block it."
Fraser is quite content with his new "Metropolis," although here, too, his intentions were altered. It seems Poor Superman was originally set in Calgary, and as Alberta continues to be the only Canadian province that doesn’t offer tax relief for filmmakers, Manitoba coughed up more cash for the project. Support from other investors came in, and Winnipeg’s old Exchange District became Superman’s new home.
It wasn't the ideal situation, but as a new director, Fraser dropped his perfectionist attitude on the set.
"When you have a million dollars and 20 days to film, you have to let go of that. We shot 12 sets a day, which was unheard of. The shoot went flawlessly, although post-production was tough. And even though I didn’t do all the big flashy things I wanted to do, I was aided a lot by the fact that I directed the show on stage four times."
To save additional costs, Fraser used Multivision 235 to shoot the film, an Australian process that requires half the footage normally needed. Fraser was happy with the results when the film opened at Montreal’s film festival.
He is most pleased with the film’s fantasy sequences, including a well-crafted, virtual threesome between the film’s main characters added at the last minute. Fraser sets up the threesome with Matt and David kissing intimately, while Matt’s wife becomes the sexual attraction. The David character is no stranger to Fraser’s plays, a sort of gay-straight, alter ego for Fraser himself. In depicting Matt’s happiness and confusion, the writer explains his other Fraser-esque trademark – sex between gay and straight men.
"I’m interested in the dynamic between men," says Fraser. "There are those who are straight, those who are gay and those who aren’t sure. Men are a lot more complex in their sexuality than we make them out to be. They sometimes say one thing on the outside, but their behaviour shows something completely different."
Fraser may be shedding his rebel image, but as a writer for Queer As Folk and the talk show host for Pride TV’s Jawbreaker, he’s not holding back, either. His latest play, the Big Chill-esque Cold Meat Party, is currently being commissioned by the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Canadian Stage Company, and he has plans to direct the film version of his British hit Snake In Fridge, a play about sex-trade workers living in a haunted house.
As Will and Grace and Queer As Folk return this season on television, Leaving Metropolis is much less shocking than it might have been eight years ago. Fraser seems well-adjusted to the change, and keeping one foot in Canada, he’s very aware that he’s playing his part.
"Listen, 10 years ago, I was here in L.A. and pitched an idea to them about a gay man and his best girlfriend and all the straight friends down the hall. And when I watched Queer As Folk for the first time, I knew I was watching David and Bernie (from Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love). I may not take credit for that, but in a strange way, I think I’ve been able to contribute to it." |
