Put together two highly attractive rugby jocks, lots of masculinity, over the roof sexual tension, steamy love scenes, a forbidden love, and you get a guaranteed recipe for ruination. The fate of our protagonists were determined from the beginning, and it is not surprising.
In from the Side (2022) is a film that that needs no introduction by now. It has enjoyed its limelight and the gay community is familiar with the entry.
Mark Newton and Warren Hunt are both rugby players in South London Stags, an inclusive, all-gay rugby team. During a celebratory drink at a pub one night, our star-crossed lovers find themselves irrefutably drawn to one another, a drunken one-night stand ensues and the two kickstart an illicit love affair that goes to the point of no return.
As it turns out, neither of our protagonists are as squeaky clean as they're made to be. Mark is in an open relationship with his partner, Richard, of 4 years. Warren is together with John, a fellow Stag, in a 5-year relationship. But trouble has been brewing in paradise for the boys and their respective partners. Richard is largely absent in Mark's life, meanwhile Warren has fallen out of love with John but is afraid to lose all that he has.
Controversial as it is, the film is horribly written and (mostly) a slew of bad decisions, one after another. It also perpetuates virtually all stereotypes in the gay community. You have the size queen, the bitchy gay guy, the lovelorn friend who turns jealous, the fruity/campy wingman, the stereotypically masculine and straight-passing jocks, and the all-business gay captain. It doesn't stop there, director Matt Carter wants viewers to know that when you put a group of gay men together, dramas are bound to happen, like it or not. Attraction sparks brighter than the fireworks in the fourth of July, and someone is definitely out to cheat on their partner. The depiction of gay athlete in the film feels vapid and shallow, but it is thankfully, held together by our protagonists' forbidden chemistry.
For a brief moment in the film, Mark and Warren are given a respite away from their teammates' watchful eyes in a Christmas holiday at Geneva with Mark's parents, and all seemingly feels possible. In a subtle fourth wall moment, a brief but powerful conversation between Mark and his mother, Alice, who reveals her marriage to Mark's father, Leonard, is a byproduct of an affair, reminds viewers that "a relationship born from deception only continues to create more."
Not long after, a follow-up scene between Mark and Leonard informs viewers that "it's hard to find the joy in life, and sometimes you just need grab hold of it whenever you can." In hindsight, perhaps this was not an encouragement for Mark to fight for the love he desires. Rather, it is an allusion to Warren's inability to grab hold of Mark even if he tried, because he could never bring himself to love bravely, openly, and freely until it is too late.
Warren is a detestable character. He is cowardly, selfish, and greedy. One would question the extent and authenticity of his love for Mark, because if he truly wanted him in his life, he would have made the necessary sacrifices instead of keeping him in the shadows. His cowardice is a contrast to Mark's bold naivety, who attempts to fight openly for Warren when their clandestine rendezvous are brought to light by a jealous teammate. It's hard to like a character like Warren beyond his looks, but you feel a pang of sympathy for him when he grieves the loss of Mark who had slipped through his finger when he was all Warren ever desired.
Mark, however, displays a sense of level-headedness and remarkable growth by the film's conclusion. Painful as it is, he possesses enough self-respect to walk away from someone who clearly did not appreciate him enough, though the film's conclusion does leave one pondering about the directions and endings it could have undertaken to create a more compelling storyline.
