The Last Year: Available on DVD
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Screenplay by Russ Williams
"Almost all of my writing is Gothic, dark, and tragic. Yet, when I thought of a gay-themed story, I wanted to say something different. I know from personal experience and the media that gays and lesbians get enough negativity as it is. So my one story that I've dedicated to us as a gay community, I wanted to be more upbeat. It's just a classic love story with a happy ending. I also wanted it to be part of my own personal story as well." -Russ Williams
The Last Year is based on Williams' own "coming-out"
experience. The film is about four senior guys at a conservative Christian Bible
college. At the start, Paul, Robby, and Hector are friends who have
hung out together since they were freshmen. As the story begins early in their last year, a "terrible" secret
divides them: Paul and Hector are gay.
A fourth, "new guy" Alex, who is also gay, joins their group
and adds to the conflict when
he and Paul fall in love. All of them try to keep their secret from a
hostile environment, but the rest of the college eventually finds out.
The students and administration start to persecute them. Even Robby, who is straight
but tries to stay
"Paul's best friend," comes in for his share of abuse. Beth, Paul’s
former girlfriend, tries to hold onto him and change him, but at the
same time loves him and seeks to understand his "new lifestyle."
Paul has to deal with a distraught family, especially his father, who
refuses to understand him. He and his dad quarrel and part ways. Paul
also comes under attack from Jackson, a
Bible-quoting jock who hates "fags." Also, Paul has to endure
pressure from the college's Dean Saunders, determined to "save" Paul,
but for his own selfish reasons.
How all of this conflict plays out against the backdrop of the Religious Right
and its intolerance of homosexuality forms the rest of the story. The
film's conclusion is both tragic and uplifting. In the end, justice and
the human spirit prevail, at a high price and regardless of bigoted opposition.
You can see the film and find out more about The Last Year:
- The "Special Edition" director's cut version of The Last Year is available on DVD through Wolfe Video. To buy a copy, click here.
- To buy a copy of the same DVD through Amazon.com, click here. Amazon.com will ship internationally.
- To see behind-the-scenes photos of the actors, "The Making of The Last Year," scroll to the bottom of this page.
- For more information and commentary on the film, including the “story behind the story,” check out the special article on The Last Year in the author's blog. To get to his blog page, click here.
- For a longer synopsis of The Last Year, see the next heading below.
The Last Year was produced and directed by Jeff London through the independent film company, Guardian Pictures Entertainment. Russ Williams is an uncredited co-producer. For more information on London and GPE, you can click here.
Long Synopsis of The Last Year (No Spoilers):
Paul Stewart is driving back to college
to begin the fall semester of his senior year at Eastmont Bible College,
in a small, rural town with the same name. Paul looks and acts like he
doesn’t quite fit in with his surroundings. He’s greeted by Robby
Greene, his old buddy and roommate. They meet a group of friends. One
of Paul’s old girlfriends, Beth Harrison immediately tries to rekindle
the relationship. However, Paul is distant. The president of Paul’s and
Robby’s dorm floor, Jackson Beals, is totally obnoxious. He’s a popular
football athlete and campus leader who has a grudge against Paul.
Paul reacts to him and the restrictive school rules by being openly
hostile. Upset, Robby follows Paul to their room, and they unpack. Paul
spots another old friend and also a senior, Hector Martinez, with a new
guy, Alex Daniels. Robby cuts off the conversation, and the guys leave.
Paul only gets angry and seems more distant and turned off by the whole
school.
Later on, Paul discovers the latest rumors. Robby tells him everyone on campus
says Hector is gay. Since Hector and Alex are roommates, and Alex
doesn't disapprove, Alex must be gay
too. Paul isn’t so sure. Robby reveals that Hector might even be
expelled soon, if the dean can find enough evidence. Paul is visibly
shaken by these revelations but says little.
That night, Paul has a nightmare, reliving an experience from the
summer. He’s meeting a young man in a public men’s room stall, having sex. Suddenly, there’s
a loud
noise, and a police officer barges in. Paul awakens, horrified at the
memory but still determined to follow the school rules till graduation.
His main remorse is that he’s hurt his father.
After the next several days, Paul meets Alex on campus, first
shooting hoops then after a class.
After being asked, Alex never admits or denies the rumors about
Hector. He says they’re close friends now, alluding a little now and then to the "gay thing."
Paul becomes curious, but he's still afraid. Alex gently chides him
for avoiding Hector, a friend. Paul gets nervous and leaves rudely after
their last talk.
Finally, Robby sits Paul down in their room alone and demands to know
why Paul is acting so differently. Paul hesitates then finally admits
that he had gay sexual experiences during the summer and realized that
his true sexuality is gay. Robby is aghast and condemning at first but
listens. Paul has decided that his best course of action is to keep his
“head down,” follow the rules for the rest of the year, and graduate
quietly. Robby recovers and tells Paul he'll try to understand, because
of their friendship.
Afterward, Paul and Alex go out to a movie together, in town. Back at
the college,
the two talk privately in Alex's dorm room, opening up to each other about their
personal lives. Alex’s family knows he’s gay, and his father sent him to
Christian schools to “cure” him. He also confides that his mother is
dead, and his father doesn’t care about him at all. Alex reveals that he
has a recurring kind of religious vision, inherited from his Catholic mother,
seeing her special saint, St. Jude, at important times in his life. Alex
says he knew Paul would be important in his life because he saw the
saint with Paul the night they first saw each other. Of course, Paul is
skeptical, but Alex then admits he’s gay and steals a quick kiss. Paul
reacts defensively at first, but the two start making out. A romance has begun.
The next morning, a furious Jackson goes to Dean Saunders’ office. He
tells the dean that, in addition to Hector, he’s sure Alex, Paul, and
maybe even Robby are gay. Jackson seeks permission to do whatever he can
to get rid of them. The dean is dismayed and tells Jackson, his spy and
enforcer, to go ahead, and that Hector and Alex are “expendable.”
However, Robby and Paul can probably be “saved.” Saunders' wife talks
with him briefly, and it's obvious their relationship is in trouble.
After she leaves, Saunders calls Paul’s father.
That night, Robby is in a dorm bathroom, getting ready for bed when
Jackson and two friends corner him. They demand to know what’s going on
with Paul, Alex, and Hector. They accuse Robby of being gay as well.
When Robby refuses to incriminate Paul, the others rough him up a
little, but he remains silent. Paul is able to rescue him and expresses sorrow that Robby is now involved. However, Robby is
understanding and still wants to be friends.
A few nights later, Paul runs into Hector alone in his (and Alex’s)
room, and an angry Hector forces Paul to confront the fact he’s been
ignoring him. Hector is a little on the manic side, an emotional guy,
and dramatic about everything. After exchanging sharp words, they patch
up their differences and resume being friends. Later on, Robby tells
Paul that he's sensed a “special” relationship between Paul and Alex. He
warns Paul to be extra careful. Jackson is upset over having Hector on
the floor and has started a “witch hunt” search for any other gays, with
the dean's consent.
The next morning, Paul’s father, Frank Stewart, picks Paul up at school,
and they talk. He's extremely upset because the dean called and told him
Paul could be having a gay affair at school. The older man is still
feeling hurt and ashamed because of Paul’s encounter with the cops last
summer. He got Paul off with a warning but now reveals he had to tell
his wife, Paul’s mother, about the whole thing. Paul didn’t want him to do that and
gets emotional. The father shouts that he can’t understand or accept
Paul’s “new lifestyle.” They settle nothing and have to part.
On the following day, Paul, Alex, Hector, and Robby gather at a café,
talking and having fun. Now, they’re all becoming close friends, and
Robby is relaxing, becoming more used to the others’ gay attitudes. They
accept Robby as one of their group and all decide, though, that they
have to try to be more discrete about what’s going on. Hector is
especially upset, because his parents would kick him “out on the
streets” if he got expelled from school for being gay. Robby is
terrified of what his father would do if the school reprimanded him.
Paul tells them all to calm down and that everything will be all right.
When Paul and the others
return to their dorm rooms, Jackson enters, backed up by his teammates.
They have ransacked the "suspect" rooms and found nude drawings Alex has
done, of Paul. Jackson confronts them with his findings and says he’s
telling the dean. Alex admits to the
drawings, and tries to take all the blame. Furious about the search, Paul gets angry, but there's nothing
he can do. Hector is almost hysterical. Jackson and some other jocks
escort Hector and Alex outside and directly to the dean. Before leaving,
Jackson tells Paul and Robby not to leave the dorm. The dean wants to
see them in the morning.
The next day in Saunders’ office, Paul and Robby ask about their
friends, but Saunders only says they’re expelled and have already left
the campus for good. As for Robby, the dean is suspending him for ten
days and sending him home for his father to “handle him.” A terrified
Robby leaves the room. Saunders turns to Paul and says he’s taking away
his car and confining him to the campus for the rest of the semester.
Saunders pledges to “cure” Paul’s rebelliousness any way he can, out of
Christian love, of course. Paul realizes why the dean is so interested
in him and that he's in for a long, difficult time if he stays at
Eastmont, and without Alex.
Later on, Beth comes to him for a sympathetic talk. She wants to resume
their relationship and asks him to start dating her again, saying she
knows she can “cure” and “save” him. Paul refuses, answering that he
likes her as a friend, but going further would do no good and would be a
lie. Beth is understanding, but says she still wants to see him. They
part amiably. Meanwhile, Jackson and his friends keep on harassing Paul.
Even so, he still vows to himself he’ll see Alex again, no matter what
he has to do to find his love.
How does all of this play out? Watch the exciting film and find out for
yourself. The Last Year is available on DVD. To buy it now from Wolfe Video,
click here.
The Making of The Last Year
 The main actors in The Last Year pose, from left: Mike Dolan, Ron Petronicols, Merrick McMahon, and Patrick Orion Hoestery. |
 The cast and crew of the film gather with Russ, seated, the second from the left. |
 The cast and crew of the film are shown here with Jeff London, the director, seated, the first on the left. |
 The crew of the film goes into action, shooting a scene. |
 Jeff London, left, directs the film on location. |
 Cuyama, California, with its scenic setting, was the shooting locale for much of the film. |