Benji (Lloyd Eyre-Morgan) unexpectedly meets the handsome Jake (David Tag) and the two have an instant chemistry. Unsure if Jake is interested in men, Benji lightly pursues him and their relationship soon turns sexual when Jake asks Benji if he wants to watch him have sex with a woman. Soon Benji and Jake are arranging monthly trips to Amsterdam to spend time together, but it becomes apparent that Jake doesn’t want their relationship to be anything more than a secret. When Jake dumps him, Benji is plunged into a spiral of self-destruction and painful reflection.
‘Departures’ from directors Neil Ely and Lloyd Eyre-Morgan is a story about toxic romance, the kind that many a gay man will have experienced at some point in their life. Benji is blinded by his attraction to Jake, and doesn’t initially consider that the relationship may have no future. Jake makes it clear that he doesn’t want anyone to know that he has sex with men, and starting from their first hook-up, Jake’s mood and demeanour immediately changes once he’s had his fun. As the relationship continues, Benji falls more in love with Jake, but Jake refuses to reciprocate Benji’s desire for them to become a real couple.
The film tells a story that feels inevitable. For that reason, there aren’t a lot of surprises along the way but ‘Departures’ shines a light on the reality for gay men who fall for someone that clearly is no good for them. Beyond his good looks, Jake has few redeeming qualities and his behaviour towards Benji becomes increasingly more erratic. He gets off on being dominant – one scene shows Jake trying to convince Benji to give him head in a public wood – and he doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. At the same time, he has zero respect for Benji’s wants and needs, always prioritising his own.
When Jake dumps Benji, it sets off a chain of events that see Benji spiralling rapidly. Refusing to listen to his concerned mother, Benji throws himself into casual hook-ups but he can’t get Jake off his mind. It doesn’t matter how near rock bottom he reaches, Benji continues to pine for a man that doesn’t have the emotional capacity to reciprocate. Rather than dust himself off though, Benji puts himself into potentially dangerous situations with little regard for the consequences. As much as the audience is supposed to feel that Jake has plenty of issues he needs to deal with, Benji has just as many.
For a film like this to resonate, the viewer needs to be able to relate to and care about the two lead characters. Thankfully writer/director Lloyd Eyre Morgan and actor David Tag are superb and unflinching in their performances. Their chemistry is electric, and viewers who know Tag from his role as Sylver McQueen in ‘Hollyoaks’ will be pleasantly surprised by him. Whereas Morgan plays the character most viewers will see themselves in, Tag makes an unsympathetic character partially likeable and he shows a completely different side to his acting talents.
For some viewers, ‘Departures’ may feel too real and hit too close to home. The situation Benji finds himself in isn’t uncommon for gay men and falling for the wrong guy is all part of the growing process. The film offers plenty of food for thought around why gay men value themselves so little at points in their life, and it makes you wonder whether some of the things we put ourselves through were worth it. In the case of Benji, he’s essentially punishing himself over-and-over again by refusing to face up to what’s blatantly obvious, and watching him try to break out of that self-destructive cycle is what will keep you engaged with the film.
Cast: Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, David Tag, Tyler Conti, Liam Boyle, Lorraine Stanley Directors: Neil Ely, Lloyd Eyre-Morgan Writer: Lloyd Eyre-Morgan Certificate: Duration: Released by: Peccadillo Pictures Release date: 17th April 2026 (cinemas)
