The title of this film is defined as a sexual attraction to the elderly. Given that it comes from Toronto’s very own queercore champion Bruce LaBruce, who has been known to cut his films into “porn” and “not-porn” versions, one might expect Gerontophilia to be full of taboo-busting elderly man-boy sex scenes. Surprisingly, the film is more like a gay Harold and Maude than anything else (though LaBruce considers it a “reverse Lolita”). LaBruce’s transgressive sexual politics are still prominent, but at the heart of the film is a peculiar and sweet love story between Lake (Pier-Gabriel Lajoie), a beautiful young (androgynously male) nursing home attendant, and Mr. Peabody (Walter Borden), an elderly resident of the home.

The film is tonally unsure of itself, and never fully decides on which part of the comedy/drama spectrum it’s supposed to lie. But the drama is anchored by Walter Borden’s performance as Mr. Peabody, a former actor with a flamboyant streak. Borden transforms him from a immobile zombie, practically medicated into a coma, into a lively, charismatic love interest. By the end of the film, it’s easy to believe in the romance, even without Lake’s particular fetish.

Gerontophilia will have its world premiere at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema at 10:30pm on Monday, September 9. It will also be playing at the Scotiabank on Wednesday, September 11, at 9:30pm and Friday, September 13, at 12:15pm

____

Alan Jones writes about film for Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @alanjonesxxxv.

For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.