You know the image: The square-jawed man in his finely pressed suit. The smiling wife in her pearls and coifed hair. Both waving from the porch of their white-picket fence home.
They represent the American Dream—or so we’re told. But we know the sheen of that heteronormative, midcentury-modern living is often a facade, masking plenty of secrets just below the surface.
In filmmaker Ryan Sarno’s The Greatest, we’re transported back to early 1960s New York (recreated in stunning period detail), where a young couple finds themselves crumbling under the pressure to uphold that picture-perfect image, while the very foundation of this country shifts beneath them.
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Jay (Isaac Nevrla) had one it all by the book: He’s worked hard and seems poised to take over the family business. He married the beautiful Beverly (Isabela Jacobsen) and moved into a new house. They even have a child together, a healthy happy baby boy.
While on a family vacation, Jay hits it off with a handsome waiter named Ricky (Sergio Acevedo). Curious yet cautious, the two men stay in touch even once back in New York, and their friendship becomes something more, frequently off to so-called “secret handshake” gay bars just so they can be together.
But when a police raid disrupts one of those romantic nights out at the bar, Jay suddenly finds his separate lives crashing into each other. Criminal charges are brought against him, and Beverly gives an ultimatum: Either he undergo “treatment” right away, or their marriage is over.
Will Jay risk everything he’s been told he’s supposed to work toward and achieve in order for a chance at passionate authentic love?
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“Jay, Ricky and Beverly represent millions of people throughout time who have been punished and stuck
in a world who had already written their story,” Sarno says in a director’s statement. “[The Greatest] begins in a time where fear dominates love and ends in a world where time is all that matters.”
After premiering earlier this year at Cinequest, The Greatest will next head to Out On Film, a fabulous LGBTQ+ film festival in Atlanta, Georgia, running from September 26 – October 6. This year’s fantastic lineup includes a number of can’t-miss films we’ve previously highlighted here at Queerty—including Sebastian, High Tide, In The Summers, Riley, and Join The Club—and features an impressive collection of virtually streaming titles, so even if you’re not local, it’s a fest well worth checking out!
The Greatest will make its bow at the festival on October 1 (more tickets and information can be found here), and you can watch the sweeping trailer for the drama below. Then, below that, check out a celebratory teaser for the 2024 Out On Film festival.
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skeldare
Not really in the mood for another sad gay story.