"Here are the Young Men": A Homophobic Gay Subtext in 1970s Ireland

 

Here are the Young Men: sounds like an ad for a gay bar.  The icon shows a woman and four young men, two of whom seem to be hugging.  I don't have much patience for local indie productions, and I've been fooled by icons before, so it's fast-forward to find the gay subtext bits.

Minute 3.51:  Looks like Ireland.  Last day of class.  Matt (Dean Charles Chapman, left) and Kearney (Finn Cole, below) hug: "It's good to see you."  They go off to meet a third, Rez (Ferdia Wash-Peelo, bottom photo).

Minute 9:48.  The three at a year-end party, drinking.  Matt goes off to dance with a girl.  Kearney tries to cut in on another couple, and almost gets beat up, but the hot lead singer comes to the rescue.  They climb onto the stage, hug, sing, and spit on each other. 

Minute 12:30.  Matt talking to a girl.

Minute 15.15.  The next day.  They hug while doing drugs.  Matt discusses his plans to go to America: "Get a gun, get obese, fuck any girl I want."

Minute 20.2: Rez having sex with a girl (his backside and chest, her boobs)

Minute 22.15: Matt kisses a girl..  Later they graffiti their names inside a giant heart.

Minute 35: Another party.  The guys drink and dance with girls.

Minute 42: Matt and Kearney hug, and say "It's good to see you" again.  They get high and play video games.  

Matt  asks "How was America/?"  

Kearney: "Man, it was great.  Girls everywhere begging for sex.  How about you?  Did you hook up with Jen while I was gone?"

Matt: "Oh...um...sure, sure, of course I did.  She's...um...hot."  Maybe he doesn't like girls, but isn't out yet.

Minute 48:  Matt with his girlfriend, discussing Kearney.  They try to have sex, but he can't get aroused.

Minute 53: Matt and Kearney try to roll a drunk, and end up killing him.

Minute 63: Yet another party.  Matt apologizes to his girlfriend for "losing his shit" the other day.  They kiss.  Matt goes out to the main party, where Kearney is getting drunk, and tries to talk to him about something.

Minute 69: Kearny tries to have sex with Matt's girlfriend, but she resists. 

Minute 73: Girlfriend tells Matt that Kearney tried to rape her.

Minute 77: Matt's mother wants to know what's going on.  Why is he acting so weird?  "There's a problem, Mum, but I'm going to fix it."

Minute 80: At a club.  Matt confronts Kearney about the attempted rape.

Kearney tries to reconcile, hugging Matt and saying "I fucking love you," but Matt.  They end up dancing together and hugging.  But then Matt poisons his drink and kills him.

So, was Matt trying to kill his homoerotic desire, or was he trying to kill his toxic relationship with Kearney?  Or both?

Either way, same-sex relationships are being portrayed as necessarily destructive.  At the very least, they prohibit you from the important things in life, like sex with girls. The gay subtext turns out to be homophobic.

Minute 90: At the funeral, Matt tells us in a voiceover that "it was the right thing to do."