Movie Review
Idyllic film National Anthem offers coming-of-age story for LGBTQ community
Eve Lindley and Charlie Plummer in National Anthem.
Coming-of-age films are a tried-and-true genre, as everyone can relate to the joys, heartbreaks, and difficulties that come when you’re young. What’s mostly been missing from the cinematic landscape are coming-of-age films focused on the LGBTQ community, although that has started to change in recent years. The newest addition to that segment is the affecting Western-set film, National Anthem.
Dylan (Charlie Plummer) is a 21-year-old with no big prospects. He lives at home with his mom Fiona (Robyn Lively) and younger brother Cassidy (Joey DeLeon), and earns money by picking up day jobs alongside migrant workers in New Mexico. One such job takes him to a ranch owned by Pepe (Rene Rosado), dubbed “House of Splendor,” where Dylan encounters a group of people who appear to encompass much of the LGBTQ spectrum.
He soon discovers that the ranch is a haven for the members of the group, a place they can live and be free from the worries and judgments that come in the wider world. Dylan is especially taken by Sky (Eve Lindley), who – despite being in a relationship with Pepe – openly flirts with Dylan throughout the film. Dylan finds himself enthralled by everything the ranch has to offer – community, love, sexual and gender fluidity, and more.
Directed by Luke Gilford, and written by Gilford, Kevin Best, and David Largman Murray, the film is a beautiful, hopeful, and often sensual journey for its characters. As the story is told almost entirely through the eyes of Dylan, it’s next to impossible not to be drawn to everything that he’s experiencing. Although the film doesn’t go deep into Dylan’s life struggles, it does enough for the audience to understand that the ranch is a much-needed escape for him.
As for those living at the ranch, it’s the vibe more than anything else that makes them engaging. We never get to know any of them very well, even Sky, who is almost like a fantasy for Dylan. But the comfort they feel being around like-minded people is palpable, an idea that is explored through supporting character Carrie (Mason Alexander Park). Even though whatever Dylan’s sexual identity was prior to coming to the ranch is not part of the film, it’s clear that he too highly enjoys being part of this particular group, with little acclimation needed.
The film mostly acts to counteract the heavily-masculine and heterosexual ideas that have pervaded most Western-themed films. Gilford returns multiple times to rodeos put on by the International Gay Rodeo Association, which allows the LGBTQ community to participate in or watch the sport with no fear of exclusion. There’s even a drag queen scene at which – gasp! – Dylan's brother is in the audience, acting almost like a middle finger to those who think such a thing is harmful to children.
Plummer has been a low-key star for a while now, leading indie films like Lean On Pete, Gully, and Words on Bathroom Walls. Although never the most expressive actor out there, he exudes a personality that is appealing in its understated nature. Lindley is a luminous presence in the film, from her cheerful demeanor to the way she is filmed to accentuate her physical traits. Special note should go to Park, who keeps the story grounded with their open and real performance.
National Anthem is a film with several different messages, none more important than that everyone should have a safe space to call their own. Although the story is idyllic at times, it has a magnetic charm thanks to Plummer and Lindley, and the beauty of the country in which the film takes place.
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National Anthem is now playing in select theaters.
