Artist Henry Hart returns to his hometown, Big Eden, Montana, after receiving a call that his grandfather has suffered from a stroke. This is a sad beginning to what is, ultimately, one of the loveliest stories of family, friendship, and love I have ever had the pleasure of watching. At first, Hart is unhappy to set foot back in the same town that a former point of his affections has also returned to. Although Hart's sexuality is made explicit, this is a gay romance film that never suffers from specific and awful typical tropes that one often finds in queer media. I kept waiting to see one of the main gay characters suffer a tragic death, or witness Hart get run out of his former home by what appears to be almost an entirely Christian town. The incredible message of this film is not necessarily one of acceptance - but perhaps that in a world where acceptance exists unconditionally, love is nothing to fear. The film is backed by an incredible cast of characters, each as interesting and lovable as the last, and is set against the quaintness of a small town near the mountains. Big Eden is a place I'd love to visit and never leave.
A successful, gay New York artist returns home to Montana to care for his sick grandfather.