From Duncan Roy (genius director of the smash-hit AKA, winner of the MGLFF Juried Best Feature in 2002) comes the much-anticipated new vision of Oscar Wilde’s classic fable of the quest for eternal youth. Roy has not so much adapted the novel as exploded it, relocating the story from Victorian England to decadent 1980’s New York, amidst the high-stakes art market and the early years of AIDS. Enter Dorian Gray, a smolderingly perfect 18 year-old beauty with a mysterious past. When a bad-boy artist named Basil spots Dorian on the scene, he is instantly smitten (who wouldn’t be?), launches a bold seduction, and makes his conquest the star of a video installation that takes the city by storm: the eponymous picture of Dorian Gray. But for Dorian, the video sparks an all consuming vanity, a fear of growing old and ugly, and ultimately, a bargain with the devil. It’s here where Roy takes us to new heights of creepy, crafting a parable of sex and power, art and commerce, beauty and mortality that makes its way deep under the skin: American Psycho gone gay. Roy’s vision of the New York gay/art demimonde is sexy, dark and daring, and the film throbs with lush cinematography and one of the finest indie-music soundtracks in cinema history. David Gallagher, none other than Simon from WB’s 7th Heaven, sinks himself into the role of Dorian with a brutal intensity that erases his wholesome TV persona forever. And as Basil, Noah Segan (who rocked in 2005’s cult classic Brick) is positively searing, bringing to life an unforgettable transformation of character. Banish all notions of Merchant Ivory from your heads, and experience the true spirit of Oscar Wilde: erotic and distinctly dangerous.

Career Synopsis

Duncan Roy was born in Kent, England in 1965. His works for the stage include The Host, Copper’s Bottom, Call Me Susan, and the Baron in the Trees. His films include Jackson: My Life…your fault (1995), Clancy’s Kitchen (1996), AKA (2002 ), which was nominated for a BAFTA and Method (2004).

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