It's not easy growing up (and adulting as) queer. But as Bookends shows, having family on your side is a real boon.
In the new film directed by Mike Doyle, Nate (Noam Ash), a gay writer, leaves the big city after a bad breakup to live with his grandparents (F. Murray Abraham and Caroline Aaron), who take him in during a tumultuous period in his life.
The story hits close to home for Ash, who in addition to playing Nate also penned the script, which was inspired by his life.
"In my late 20s, and I found out that the relationship that I was in was not a great one, and I was sort of left with no option, and I ended up moving in with my grandparents," Ash shares.
It's a relationship that Charlie Barnett — who plays Daniel, a doctor to Nate's grandparents and a potential love interest for the writer — found to be special in the media landscape, as it depicts an older generation that is "incredibly supportive" of a gay grandchild.
"I think having that benefit and having that relationship, that connection, that tie, God, it can make your experience so vastly different," the gay actor says. "But being able to understand each other and uplift each other is...an incredible blessing that not all of us are afforded."
Nate's moving-in sparks an inciting incident for Bookends, as the character learns more about his family members and himself. As Doyle sums up, "What happens if your fabulous gay grandson's life, his magnificent big life implodes in New York, and he suddenly has to run to the sticks to his grandparents' retirement community, and what does that look like?"
Noam Ash, Charlie Barnett, and F. Murray Abraham in 'Bookends'Courtesy
Watch the full interview with Noam Ash, Charlie Barnett, and director Mike Doyle above. Learn more about Bookends at linktr.ee/Bookendsmovie. And catch a screening this Thursday at the Miami Film Festival.
