Any Day Now
Rudy Donatello (Alan Cumming) is a struggling musician and drag performer in a gay nightclub in 1979 West Hollywood, where he meets Paul Fleiger (Garret Dillahunt), a closeted district attorney. Returning home to his apartment, Rudy finds Marco (Isaac Leyva), a 14-year-old with Down syndrome, left alone after his mother, Marianna (Jamie Ann Allman), had been arrested. Rudy takes in the abandoned boy, but Family Services intervenes and takes Marco to foster care. Rudy enlists Paul to help him gain custody of Marco; and the two visit Marianna in prison to coax her into signing the temporary guardianship papers, which she does. All is well as Rudy and Paul become Marco's guardians; but, when Rudy and Paul's relationship is called into question by the court system, the two men find themselves spiraling into a legal battle to become the legal and permanent guardians of the fascinating boy who showed them both the real joy of what it means to be a parent. After having their home (Marco's living environment) evaluated, the men are put in front of a judge (Frances Fisher) who is to decide what's best for the child. The evaluation comes back positive, and it is decided that Rudy and Paul are great parents for Marco. However, just as the court is about to rule in favor of the men, Marco's mother is released from prison. She takes back custody of Marco, leaving Rudy and Paul without their son. Marco is heard saying as he is taken back to his mother's apartment, "this is not my home, this is not my home." As expected, Marianna returns to her old ways (using drugs, sleeping around, etc.) and fails to take care of Marco. One night as she is having sex, Marianna tells Marco to step outside of the apartment. Marco begins to wander the streets in search of Paul's house (his true home). However, Marco is unable to find the house and dies outside, alone. The movie ends with a letter/monologue from Paul. The letter, which contained Marco's obituary, was sent to all who doubted the couple as Marco's parents. The hope was for them to realize the mistake they made that ended in this boy's untimely death.
queer, storytelling, home movie