Breaking the Silence

Julian is a middle-aged gay poet whose
mom, an artist, has just died. While
grieving her death, he sorts through his
mom's paintings, revisiting a bittersweet
past: his parents' marriage overshadowed
by memories of war, & his own romantic
affair with Roman, his lover.
Set in postwar communist Poland, Julian's
recollections of his relationship unfold in
many ways like the immortal tale of Romeo
& Juliet. Just like Shakespeare's young
lovers, the 2 young men, always meeting
in secret, hear the nightingales @ night
& the larks @ dawn. Unlike the storied
lovers from high class Verona, however,
Julian and Roman's love unravels in bleak
surroundings: a public park, a grim little
apartment, & a primeval forest.
As Julian journeys through the past, he challenges the tyrannical postwar
censorship that surrounded & strangled
both art & gay relationships. His tale is
a testimony to the strength of the human
spirit to survive-& even thrive-in an
oppressive political regime