The Story
Logline
A young man, Peter Williams, finds it necessary to go through the harsh experimentations of conversion therapy in order to make right with himself and with God, however, complications arise when Peter realizes how strong his love actually is for his partner, Alan Hayes.
Synopsis
Peter Williams is a sweet young man who self admits himself to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for the Insane in order to cleanse himself from his life living as a gay man. After suffering through various experimental phases, Peter experiences vivid memories of his time with his lover, Alan Hayes, and begins to hallucinate his presence in the hospital with him. Peter is left conflicted and wondering if he can actually be cured, or if he even wants to be cured.
Director's Statement
I create art that is unique to myself, drawn from my individual experiences, encounters and feelings. Each of my projects are designed to show a glimpse of how I visualize my reality. Albeit unconventional, my goal is to spark new and raw emotions from my audience, whether that be feelings of discomfort, happiness or pain. Out of the ordinary, unnerving experiences are what pulls the greatest amount of emotion from not only myself, but also the viewer. My films are meant to let my audience know that they are not alone in what they are feeling, and to use my art as a comforting escape from their reality. I like to show the darker sides of things and give my audience a harsh glimpse of reality.
“The Way They Should Be” is a hard hitting, psychological drama/romance about gay conversion therapy. Although this is not something I have been through or something I can say I relate to, I believe this is a story that needs to be told and that needs to be brought to the attention of so many people, especially these days. Expressing and showing hard hitting topics through film is my favorite way to do things. I want to feel stressed, upset, sad, anxious when I am watching my own film, so it is my biggest goal to get my audience to feel the same emotions that I am feeling and trying to evoke at the same time. I want them to be in the shoes of me and feel what I feel about the subject and how I will feel when filming this project. I am scared of my own film and how creepy it is, and I love it.
Theme
I think it is extremely important for me to make films about hard hitting topics to bring awareness to my audience. Not only that but I think it is important to show these topics without the typical happy ending that is in most films these days. Conversion therapy did not have a happy ending, in fact, it still happens today, conversion therapy didn’t just magically disappear. I think it is important to address the darker side of things and how things don’t always work out like they do in the movies. The atmosphere of this film is very dark throughout, giving the audience a feeling that something bad is going to happen the entire time.
tone
Surreal, ominous, sadistic, uneasy
This film maintains a very dark and discomforting feel to it throughout. The subject matter, gay conversion therapy, is a cruel subject matter and in no way should have any other tone other than unsettling feelings and utter disbelief as to what has been done in real life and what is being portrayed in my film.
