Taken from IMDB

SYNOPSIS: Gay Londoners Marc and Fred plan for a weekend of mischief, baiting the Christian owner of a remote Christian B&B. Events take a deadly turn when another guest arrives, who they think might have something more sinister in mind.

As an LGBT filmmaker, most LGBT films have ruined the good ones for me. I live with the paranoia and expectation of seeing self-righteous and preachy speeches about homophobia, as independent LGBT movies often do. (Just to let you know, they’re gay. In case you didn’t notice, this is a gay movie starring two gay people who deal with gay issues. By the way, they’re gay.) 

B&B is a break from the norm of non-norm films. Despite a slow start, it turns into a fast-paced, bloody thriller in the veins of Hitchcock, where a pair of night vision goggles become the MacGuffin of the story, giving another nod to Hitchcock’s love of voyeurism.

Marc (Tom Bateman) and his husband Fred (Sean Teale) check back in to a Christian B&B, of whom they sued the homophobic owner, Josh (Paul McGann) for denying them a double bed. Josh’s son Paul (Callum Woodhouse) confides in the couple that he is gay, and is terrified of coming out to his father. As the couple flaunts their victory, they eventually become intimidated by a large Russian man; Marc suspects nothing, while Fred remains paranoid and decides to investigate. They eventually become entangled in a strange and complex mission that reaps shocking results, and the characters reveal their vulnerabilities and learn more about each other than they ever would.

So yes, the homophobia argument becomes prevalent, and the slow first act of B&B is a bit difficult to pay attention to. However, the film veers away from preachiness and instead shows the damage that homophobia can cause in both a physical and mental sense, rather than tell. B&B really starts to come into its own by the second act, turning into an intriguing “whodunnit” story where suspense is balanced with dark comedy. 

Written and directed by Joe Ahearne (Trace, The Replacement), B&B premiered earlier this year at the London Independent Film Festival, where it won the award for Best LGBT Film. The actors gave convincing performances that showed their characters’ natural progressions, from gloating to humility, from fear to strength, from hatred to love and devotion. Marc and Fred’s discovery of the night vision goggles and the subsequent shots from their perspective not only paid tribute to the voyeuristic camera seen in Hitchcock’s films, but also served as an allegory that the gay community is always watched and always targeted. 

As an LGBT film, B&B is a breath of fresh air, where the setups always pay off and the viewer can self-reflectively connect with the film, regardless of sexual orientation.