Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a rewatch.Actor Paul Dano made an auspicious leading man debut in this overlooked 2001 drama.
In L.I.E., Dano plays Howie, a 15-year-old boy living in the suburbs of New York, recovering from the sudden death of his mother.
His dad already has a new girlfriend only a month later, leaving Howie to fend for himself. Howie develops a friendship–and a sexual attraction–with Gary (Billy Kay), a gay hustler who leads him into a life of mischief, robbing neighborhood homes.
One night the boys decide to rob the home of Big John (Brian Cox), one of Howie’s frequent Johns. When Big John catches the pair, he offers a sexual relationship.