Not a Still Life

While the press notes for Roberta Cantow's documentary tell us that Steve Stone is “an older gay, Jewish man who shares the naked truth, joys and sorrows of his unconventional life,” some will wonder why this slightly gregarious but rather ordinary man is the subject of a film. Stone speaks intelligently of various emotional highs and lows, including the loss of a lover from AIDS (from whom he inherited a luxury furniture company). But input from neighbors and friends about Stone's allegedly larger-than-life personality only creates confusion, because there is not much in Stone's onscreen behavior to warrant such lavish praise. Stone is no doubt a fine and upstanding character, but whether he deserves a spotlight turn in a documentary profile is another question. Optional. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)