Clay Farmers is a queer western-based romance that was made in 1988 a full 17 years before Brokeback Mountain, although it never created anything like the same impact as its successor. It is the debut, and only feature-length film from director A P Gonzalez from the only script ever written by Michael Moore was recently restored in partnership with UCLA and Outfest’s Legacy Project for its 30th anniversary.
Mike (Nicholas Rempel) a young hired hand in California is working a small farm with a close friend, Dan. Mike is content on the farm and obviously attracted to the handsome Dan (Todd Fraser). Dan seems to be attracted to Mike as well but is a drifter and not happy as a farmer. He longs to finish out the contract and move on to a big city, perhaps with Mike. Gary (Liam McGrath), a boy from the next farm over, befriends them during their daily chores. Gary lives with his abusive father, a stepmother and a stepbrother.
Gary is drawn to the camaraderie of the young farmhands in part to avoid his problems at home. When an innocent session of skinny-dipping is misconstrued by the boy’s father, the young hired hands soon find themselves unjustly suspected of wrongdoing in a suddenly hostile small town.
PS Clay Farmers is streaming on Here TV, Google Play, and Amazon Prime
Labels: 1988, 2023, Clay Farmers, romance, western
