Boyfriends is a 1996 British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 independent film

Independent film

An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

. Three gay couples, all of whom are suffering relationship problems, spend a weekend at the seaside and learn how to deal with their issues from each other. The film was written and directed by Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter. The film was James Dreyfus

James Dreyfus

- Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay....

' last role as an unknown before taking the part of Constable Goody in The Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line is a colloquial term for police and police forces, designed by a police officer after seeing a blue light reflecting on a black marble wall during the first Official Police weeks in Washington DC...

. The film also starred Mark Sands, Michael Urwin, Andrew Ableson, David Coffey, Darren Petrucci and Michael McGrath.

Plot

Paul, Matt and Will, three best friends decide to go on holiday together. Paul (James Dreyfus) brings his lover Ben, but their five-year relationship is unstable owing to Paul's continued moodiness over the death of his brother Mark; Matt brings Owen, with whom he wants a life-long relationship but whose boisterous personality doesn't suit him; and Will brings Adam, a 20-year old one-night stand

One-night stand

Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...

. Mark's lover also comes along for some sense of closure.

Cast

Only the seven main characters and Mark appear throughout the entire film.

• James Dreyfus
  James Dreyfus
  - Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay....
  
   - Paul
• Mark Sands - Ben
• Michael Urwin - Matt
• Andrew Ableson - Owen
• David Coffey - Will
• Darren Petrucci - Adam
• Michael McGrath - James
• Russell Higgs - Mark

Soundtrack

The film's closing music is Dinah Washington

Dinah Washington

Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...

's I wish I knew the name (of the boy in my dreams) .

Critical reception

Boyfriends won the 1996 Best Featured Film Award at the Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. General critical reviews were mixed, with one describing the film as "a biting, shrewd and scathingly funny dissection of gay relationships". Another critic, however, wrote "Boyfriends suffers from too many soap-opera-like subplots that seem set up to create tension".