Philadelphia writer Robert Drake, a gay man who writes gay-themed novels, is the subject of director Pamela Drynan's documentary about the author's life following a brutal 1999 gay-bashing incident in Sligo, Ireland, where Drake was researching a novel. Drake was assaulted by two men—later sentenced to eight years in prison—who he had met earlier that night at a bar. Beaten bloody and senseless, Drake was left partially paralyzed from the incident. Now years later, Drynan follows Drake back to Ireland, as he bravely re-connects with the places he lived and traveled through during the run-up to the terrible event that changed his life forever. Drynan wisely allows Drake to tell his own story, a moving personal journey that unfolds with emotional ebbs and flows, free of manipulative directorial prompting or news-journalism-style interrogation. Along the way, it's hard not to be moved by this fiercely objective but heartfelt portrait of one man's courage in revisiting a traumatic past that most would want to simply forget. Highly recommended. (M. Sandlin)
Where I Am
MPI, 72 min., not rated, DVD: 24.98, Jan. 14 Volume 29, Issue 2
Where I Am
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