SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from “Leviticus,” now in theaters.
“I want it to look like you” might be the single most romantic dialogue of the year.
And yes, it’s from a horror movie, namely Adrian Chiarella’s “Leviticus,” which features two gay teenagers tormented by a violent supernatural entity that resembles the person they desire most – each other.
Premiering at Sundance in January to rave reviews and later acquired by Neon for release in theaters Friday, “Leviticus” is named for the Bible verse that condemns homosexuality and set in a conservative town in Australia that does the same.
The film follows Naim (Joe Bird) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), who share a mutual attraction, acting on it in the film’s opening scene. Agreeing to keep it a secret due to their homophobic community, Naim later discovers that Ryan is also involved with fellow classmate Hunter (Jeremy Blewitt). Naim ends up revealing their secret to Hunter’s parents, who bring in a pastor tasked with removing “the sin” in the boys. A shocked Naim watches as Hunter and Ryan writhe on the floor in agony post-“cleansing,” as Ryan begins to appear often beat-up and increasingly terrified of Naim throughout the movie.
