Do you believe in life after love? So goes Cher’s dance anthem, and it’s the eternal quandary also probed by Neil Ely and Lloyd Eyre-Morgan’s funny yet touching drama. As well as writing and co-directing, Eyre-Morgan stars as Benji, a thirtysomething lonely heart yearning for genuine connection, only to be let down by a string of bad boyfriends. After his recent breakup with Jake (David Tag), a hunky personal trainer with a closeted double life, Benji descends into a whirl of drinking, drugs and casual hookups – cheap highs to numb the pain. A weekend getaway to Amsterdam – the city where he and Jake went during their clandestine relationship – further opens old wounds.
Though grappling with heavy issues such as body image, family rejection and toxic masculinity, Departures never veers into maudlin sentimentality, favouring instead dark comedy and a poppy visual style. Through dynamic elliptical editing, Benji’s self-destructive spiral and his memories with Jake blur into a nonlinear narrative that echoes the mind-shattering effects of a broken heart. Eyre-Morgan’s strong chemistry with Tag ballasts the lead role, and much of the film is driven by Benji’s internal monologue, delivered with self-deprecating humour and raw honesty.
