When
a gay person can no longer stand being trapped in a small
town, the opportunities of big city gay life seem overwhelmingly
tempting, and the gay migration to Chicago, Los Angeles, New
York, and San Francisco has changed the culture of such meccas
irreversibly. But gays, in turn, have changed from closeted
innocence to the many "types" required by the sexual
entrepreneurship forced upon them in places where they cannot
quickly establish roots. For at least three decades perhaps
the most narcissistic niche for gays have been the "tribal"
circuit parties of Southern California, announced in a bimonthly
publication In and frequented by handsome and muscular
studs who thrive on being desired by one another but otherwise
appear to have no meaningful lives. The film Circuit,
directed by Dirk Shafer, attempts not only to document the
"gay superbowl" lifestyle, courtesy of Tad (played
by Daniel Kucan), who claims to be filming a documentary within
the film, but also to provide a plausible account of how a
gay police officer, John (played by Jonathan Wade Drahos),
left a small town in Illinois at the friendly suggestion of
the police chief, only to be corrupted by the circuit culture.
The film picks up tempo at a dance event attended by hundreds
of gay men, many stripped to the waist showing centerfold
musculature, and indeed similar scenes throughout the film
will doubtless bring to the box office those attracted by
pretty faces and masculine bodies (90 percent of whom are
bottoms, according to one amusing line in the film). At the
event Hector (played by Andre Khabbazi) spots John, who is
standing alone to observe the throng, and identifies himself
as a hustler. In due course the two bond, doubtless because
Hector sees John as still unjaded by the circuit culture and
therefore a "real person," while John needs Hector's
mentorship in order to feel a part of the seductive culture.
In due course Hector initiates John into the rituals of the
circuit culture, namely, nude swimming parties in the Hollywood
Hills, steroids and intense gym workouts, cocaine and other
drugs, and attendance at two Red Parties, a Blue Party, and
the gala three-day White Party in Palm Springs usually attended
by 25,000 gay men. (The annual Black Party was edited out
for some reason.) On one occasion John and Hector make love
in a hotel room in front of a john, so John picks up $500
as his first and only experience hustling; otherwise, he is
a security guard at gay night spots and circuit parties. One
day John's former girlfriend Nina (played by Kierstan Warren)
from Illinois comes into town to do stand-up comedy at a gay
night club; when John discovers that she has no place to stay,
he offers his pad in the Hollywood Hills. But as he descends
into the depths of circuit culture, she moves out, not only
disgusted by his sordid narcissism but also in fear that she
will eventually see him dead. Behind the scenes, Circuit
provides an exposé of who is really behind the circuit
culture-middle-aged men who rake in big bucks from overcharged
admission fees, such as $75 admission to a single all-night
dance event. Gino (played by William Katt), one fat cat in
particular, takes out life insurance policies on his circuit
pets, including Hector, whose cosmetic surgery he has financed,
in order to profit from the inevitability of their death through
a drug overdose. When Hector dies in that manner, John finally
realizes that he has overdosed on circuit culture and shifts
gears to get a real life. As a graphic description of how
circuit culture operates, both at the top and bottom levels,
the Political Film Society has nominated Circuit
for an award as best film exposé of 2002. MH
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