Review: ‘Ganymede’ takes Christian extremism to task

For many LGBTQ+ youth, growing up in the Bible Belt is a traumatic experience. Religious extremism torments them into thinking there’s something innately wrong with who they are. In adulthood, it’s even more difficult to break those chains. With Colby Holt and Sam Probst’s new film Ganymede, the co-directors shed light on Christian evangelicalism and the damaging effects it has on young gay men. In exploring a teen’s struggle with identity, the film presents the idea that who he truly is is some demonic force desperately hungry to destroy him.

When local wrestling star Lee Fletcher (Jordan Doww) crushes hard on classmate and openly gay teen Kyle Culper (Pablo Castelblanco), a monster creeps out of his bedroom closet – a metaphor to signify his attempts to accept himself and reconcile with his faith. Such symbolism might be too on-the-nose, but it greatly serves the story Holt and Probst so admirably tell. The creature design is top-notch, injecting a little fear into the viewer. As Lee fights harder against himself, his parents turn to Pastor Royer (David Koechner) for guidance. Royer, a fire and brimstone type, advises Lee to undergo electroshock therapy to clear out those carnal thoughts about Kyle. Each session is as excruciating as the next, as the viewer witnesses Lee convulse and writhe in agony.

With the walls closing in around him, Lee nearly drowns in his own self-loathing. His parents’ extremist views taught him one thing about being gay, while his body and mind told him something completely different. His identity nearly costs him his life, and it’s only up to him whether he wants to be saved from a religion so full of hate that real messages of love and compassion get lost in the noise.

Doww delivers a stirring and emotional performance. He navigates the nuances of such a role with agility, yet there’s a delicacy to the choices he makes and the intentions behind his words. The ensemble cast digs deep within themselves to color a terribly vicious world by taking great care to commit to the work without being melodramatic or undercooked. Ganymede makes an expert landing in every conceivable way.

The hatred Lee feels for himself boils over, and he directs much of his anger toward Kyle, who his father says is a “Ganymede,” a demon sent to tempt and entrap. Lee also lashes out at another closeted gay teen, his classmate Justin Farkle (Brady Gentry), who he cruises at a public restroom. In these moments, the film hyperfocuses on what it means to grow up queer in the South and what its impact does to those in pain. With its tight, well-paced script (written by Holt), Ganymede embodies the true queer experience with razor-sharp fangs and apt attention given to Lee’s fully-fleshed story. The religious elements fuel the fire; the personal destruction consumes everything in its fiery wake.

Ganymede teeters between horror and thriller (painted with a dramatic brush), and it commits fully to both. Genre fingerprints blur the lens to give the film a distinct feel – intensely personal and raw. There’s no mistaking it: it’s one of the best films of 2024.

Ganymede hits VOD on August 6. Don’t miss it.

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