AKA (2002)

AKA has been favorably compared to The Talented Mr. Ripley, and for good reason. A fascinating drama about a young, working-class man's fraudulent claim to aristocracy and subsequent rise among the rich and privileged, AKA has a touch of the thriller about it. Matthew Leitch plays 18-year-old Dean, a handsome, beleaguered fellow abused in every conceivable way by a monstrous father and thwarted in his desire for higher education and a lucrative career. Sheltered and polished by a high-society arts matron, Lady Gryffon (Diana Quick), Dean eventually lands on his feet in Paris, gaining entrance to elite circles by pretending to be Lady Gryffon's son and getting caught between the desire of two men. The smart script by writer-director Duncan Roy plays on the paradox of an ambiguous hero whose attractiveness to the rich and jaded is his emotional authenticity and natural frankness. Leitch's performance is mesmerizing, both cryptic and eerily honest. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

Have I seen this story line before?

This is a really gay version of "The Talented Mr Ripley", I liked it and would watch it again. February 8, 2006

"I knew he wasn't one of us!"

AKA is an interesting film about an interesting story, but I found the movie to be a little overrated. Yes - it's well acted, and considering the subject matter, it's a little over-long, and the sound is so muffled that it's often hard to hear the dialogue. Directed by Duncan Roy, AKA does succeed, however, as a type of modern-version of Vanity Fair turned completely on its head.

Based on a true story and set in England and France in the late 1970s is all about a young man of humble origins who makes his way into an aristocracy that may be not what it once was, yet still adheres as severely as ever to class distinctions. Dean Page (Matthew Leitch) is truly trapped, beset by a stepfather (Geoff Bell) who sexually abuses him and a loving mother Georgie (Lindsey Coulson) so intimidated by her husband that she won't even sign the papers that would allow her son the escape and opportunity a free government college education would provide.

Georgie works as waitress in a posh London restaurant, and tells Dean about all the aristocratic women that as he meets, in particular Lady Francine Gryffoyn (Diana Quick), whom she serves day in and day out. Dean is so enamored by the images of Lady Gryffoyn and in constant fear of his father that he runs away from home and applies for a job with Lady Francine at her art gallery.

Dean is just handsome, reserved, and diffident enough to catch milady's fancy. Beneath an often-nasty veneer, Lady Francine, a divorcée, is a vulnerable woman who snorts coke at gallery openings and knows her peers hate her because she must work for a living

All seems well for Dean until he runs up against Lady Francine's son, Alexander (Blake Ritson), an insufferable snob who jealous of his mother's attentions to him. Dean, however, has briefly crossed paths with a charismatic young American, Benjamin Halim (Peter Youngblood Hills), who tells him that Paris is the place to be.

In Paris, our young disaffected hero poses as David Gryffoyn and uses stolen credit cards to get by and maintain his now wealthy lifestyle. He also meets Benjamin's boyfriend David Glendenning (George Asprey), a rich and handsome British aristocrat who is instantly taken with him. Has he hobnobs with the filthy and decadent rich; he becomes carried away by his assumed identity, while also becoming potentially caught in a dicey triangle with David and Benjamin.

Amidst a sharply observed swath of decadence, involving mostly a lot of drugs, drinking and kinky sex, Roy suggests that with Dean caught between so jagged a rock and so hard a place at the outset of his story, perhaps he had nothing to lose by his imposture even if it is hardly likely to last.

AKA often veers radically from the totally engrossing to the silly. Some of the dialogue is laughable and totally unrealistic, particularly in one scene when Georgie, in an attempt to find her son, visits Lady Gryffoyn in her gallery, and is rebuffed with the comment "don't you people have the Social Services for this sort of thing." One might also wonder whether the English Aristocracy are really as decadent and as useless as this films makes them out to be.

Having said this, AKA is still mostly watchable thanks to the understated performances of both Matthew Leitch and Peter Youngblood Hills. And it is a testament to Leitch's sympathetic portrayal of Dean that we somehow hope that he will get away with this charade unscathed. Roy acutely weaves his social, psychological, and emotional observations into the narrative making AKA a mostly amusing, poignant, and insightful exploration into the enigmas of the British class system.

Indeed, the far more aware and experienced Benjamin, in all his insecurities and changeability, holds up for Dean a mirror that Dean naturally resists peering into at all costs. But it is a mirror that Dean has to look into if he wants to save his soul, find the redemption that he is looking for, and ultimately rediscover his true identity. Mike Leonard September 05.
October 2, 2005

Average film

This british movie is a "queer version" of "Mr Ripley", which is not a bad starting point. However there are too many flaws to say this is a good movie. Some actors are probably not professional, especially some bi-characters are extremely bad, overacting and very ennoying. The story is though interesting enough to be worth seeing. There are so many bad gay movies out there, so this one is far from the worse.... July 11, 2005

artful and true

AKA is writer/director Duncan Roy's thought-provoking memoir of his own youth. He escaped from a brutal, sexually abusive working-class household by assuming the identity of a young aristocrat and became famous - or notorious - in the process.

Mr. Roy's movie is brilliantly written, directed, and cast. Matthew Leitch is perfect as Dean, the handsome, sweet, innocently seductive young man who desperately wants a better or, to be more precise, another life. His intelligence, looks, charm, and manner make people want to believe he is who he says. All the actors are notable and entertaining. Two are exceptional: Diana Quick as the prickly patrician Lady Gryffoyn, whose son Dean impersonates; and George Asprey as the striking, urbane, aristocratic who takes Dean under his wing.

Aside from the fascinating story, imaginative photography done solely with available light, and perfect musical support, AKA is a scathing portrayal of the English class system, where aristocrats rely on certain cues (accent, name, manners, schooling, demeanor) to identify one another and preserve their exclusivity. Dean lives as 'one of them' successfully and happily for over a year. After which he says, quite truthfully if Mr. Roy's portrait of Alexander Gryffoyn is in any way accurate, that he was a better Lord Gryffoyn than the real one could ever be. Mr. Roy depicts a working class equally complicit in maintaining 'place' and limited social mobility.

After watching the single screen version, the three-screen triptych version, as it was released theatrically, is a wonderful complement which adds dimension to the story. Mr. Roy's commentary is illuminating politically and enlightening cinematically. This is a very personal work of art. The entire ensemble is outstanding, but the talent and beauty of Matthew Leitch bring it all together. January 19, 2005

A good film with a good storyline

Based on a true story of Dean Page. The production quality and audio was good. The acting was good and the main players, believable. The story is of Dean who hates his middle class life and sexually abusive Father. Dean wants to be a nobleman so he steals the identity of a nobleman and assumes his life. Sadly Dean can not afford the cost of being rich and not only limits out his credit card but commits credit fraud to keep up the lie. The only negitive thing about the entire film was Dean's English accent is so heavy that on occation it's hard to understand what he said. The film is a good investment. It has a few racey intimate scene's and one frontal nude shot, although quick it may be best for those over 18. Those who have suffered sexual abuse by an authority figure may be very effected by the film. October 30, 2004

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