Big Eden

Big Eden is a tiny town tucked away in the timberland of northwestern Montana, where cowboys lounge on the porch of the general store to pass the time away, and keep their eyes on things.

Although it's been years since he was back, Henry Hart, a successful but lonely New York artist, returns to Big Eden, the town of his childhood, to care for the ailing grandfather who raised him. Once home, Henry finds he must come to terms with his relationship to Dean Stewart, his best friend from high school, and the object of his unrequited love. Henry's feelings for Dean, which caused him to flee Big Eden nearly twenty years ago, seem to have only grown stronger over the intervening years.

At the same time, Henry's reappearance sparks a transformation in Pike Dexter, the shy, unassuming, Native American owner of the town's general store. Pike is as surprised as anyone, and completely unprepared, when he finds himself falling in love with Henry.

As this unspoken triangle unfolds under the scrutiny of Big Eden's community, nearly everyone in town develops a stake in its outcome.

When tragedy strikes and Henry chooses to leave once again, and Pike is unable to articulate feelings which might alter Henry's course, it is ultimately the people of Big Eden that must join together in an effort to help two of their own find true happiness.

BIG EDEN is a uniquely American fable about home and family. It hits upon the universal longing and hope we each have for finding a place where we are loved, and the unconditional desire to see those that we love find happiness.

Source : Obtained from www.bigeden.com

Tom Bezucha's Big Eden 
A heart-warming romantic fantasy for the non-gym-goers among the gay community. 
by James F. Mills 

Director Tom Bezucha is still glowing with pride even a month after his victory. The first-time director won the Triple Crown of the gay film festival circuit. His Big Eden won the audience award for best narrative film at all three of the major gay film festivals in America – New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. “It’s still a bit of a shock, almost surreal,” said the 36-year-old writer-director during an interview at West Hollywood’s trendy Buzz Coffee on the Sunset Strip. “I never thought we could win all three festivals.” 

Big Eden is a heart-warming romantic fantasy for the non-gym-goers among the gay community. It tells the story of a Big Apple artist in his late 30s who moves back to his Montana hometown to care for his ailing grandfather and finds his true love in the process. “I got tired of the gay love story with buff, tan 20-somethings with no family,” said the Michigan-born, Amherst, Mass.-raised Bezucha. “I wanted someone to tell love story that could happen to me.” 

Montana dreams 

Inspiration came on a buying trip to Montana in the mid-1990s while working for Ralph Lauren as a senior director for store development. Bezucha fell in love with Big Sky Country and began fantasizing about leaving Manhattan for Montana. Only problem with the fantasy was that Bezucha doesn’t cook. “Then I said to myself, ‘What if there was somebody there who could cook?’ ” That notion gave Bezucha the courtship angle needed to make his screenplay work. Over the next five years, he envisioned the central characters and wrote three drafts. “I actually spent more time not writing than writing. I just listened to the characters and let them tell me where to go with the plot.” 

No distribution deal yet 

Big Eden premiered in April in the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. Audience response was enthusiastic there, but the reviews were more mixed. Weekly Variety, while impressed, said the film was “much too mainstream in both style and storytelling for gay film fans demanding stronger, punchier work.” That review makes winning the Triple Crown at the major gay festivals even more satisfying and ironic. The fact the film competed with nearly 100 feature-length films at the three gay film festivals and won the audience award at all three indicates the film struck a chord with a significant segment of the most discriminating gay movie audiences in America. 

Distributors seem to be in the camp with the Variety review rather than the film festival audience. Bezucha has had meetings with several distribution companies but no deal has materialized as yet. Next up, Bezucha hopes to be in the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January where numerous independent films are signed each year. 

Best actor award from Outfest 

In addition to the audience award, Big Eden also won the best actor award from the jury at LA’s Outfest for Eric Schweig who plays Pike Dexter, the shy Native American store keeper who expresses his romantic interest via his cooking. Schweig, a “great physical actor” as Bezucha described him, won the role after some stiff competition from other Native American actors. “There’s so much less stigma about playing gay characters among [the Native American community], so we had virtually every Native American actor reading.” 

Arye Gross, best known for the sitcom “Ellen” during it’s early seasons, plays Henry Hart, the artist whose move back home sets the plot in motion. Gross was one of the first roles cast and one of the easiest to fill. “Arye was one of the first to audition and he just blew me away,” said Bezucha. “I measured everyone who read after that against Arye.” 

The cast also includes Tim DeKay as Henry’s old flame from high school days, George Coe as Henry’s ailing grandfather and Nan Martin, best known as Mrs. Louder on TV’s “Drew Carey Show,” as a busybody widow interested in the grandfather. Oscar winner Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) plays a family friend and confident. Bezucha wrote that role with Fletcher in mind because he “wanted to see her play nice.” 

Homophobic dog walkers 

Filming took place in Glacier National Park in Montana in September and October 1999. While the locals were very welcoming, there were a few homophobic moments. While filming a big crowd scene where two male characters kiss, several of the extras were surprised and became uncomfortable. The other notable homophobic incident came with the dog walker hired by the cast members who brought their dogs to the shoot. When the dogwalker learned the nature of the film, she went to Gross and said she could no longer walk his dog. Gross, who is straight and married, replied, “I don’t think I want someone like you walking my dog.” 

Currently single, Bezucha, who lists Gone with the Wind, Jaws and It’s a Wonderful Life among his favorite films, now lives in West Hollywood. He’s just begun casting for his second screenplay, another romantic comedy with an ensemble cast, tentatively titled Fucking Hate Her. Shooting is scheduled to start in February in Amherst. “It takes place on Christmas and the day before. So, we’ll be [filming] there the right time of year.” 

Visit the web site: www.bigeden.com

Source : Obtained from Gaywired.Com