DORIAN BLUES

By the time we find Dorian on a park bench in New York City, writer-director Tennyson Bardwell has already set up a classic coming-out story: slim, bookish Dorian is sexually confused and teased in high school. To make matters worse, his brother is captain of the football team and his father is a ruthless dictator. Caught up in her suburban wifely duties, his mother is no help. Bardwell?s script is front-loaded with humor and great lines, humor that gets Dorian and the story through rough times: therapists and priests offer opposite advice; he?s thrown out of the house when he comes out to his father; moves to New York City; and finds his first real lover; and suffers his first break-up. Sound familiar? Bardwell?s tale may not be unique, but Dorian is a self-described ?stereotypical gay,? and the story moves easily back and forth between comedy and drama. Michael McMillian?s Dorian is adorable and testy by turns, and has an unusual ally in his brother Nick (Lea Coco). Bardwell covers a lot of ground in this indie debut, winning multiple awards at festivals around the country.