Directed by Mark Pluck and written by Christopher Sherwood, set over the course of one night in the late 2000s, the story follows a man in his 20s, who meets a man in his 60s, at a discreet London pub. What begins as a tender and intimate connection soon fractures under the weight of a painful misunderstanding in a nearby hotel room, forcing both men to confront their deepest fears. Starring: Jason Watkins, Noah Valentine, Adam Lahraoui, Emily Jo Young and Philip Honeywell.
As soon as you enter Geronto and your eyes land upon Noah Valentine you can sense his unhappiness, trapped pretending to be something he’s not, afraid to be his true self. There’s a pervasive awkwardness and nervousness in the atmosphere, something that Mark Pluck does well all throughout the short. Something that’s also very well paired with the strong tension which Geronto has to offer. Pluck brings a hesitant touch to the directorial style which perfectly matches the tone, giving it a gentle feel.
That in turn is then matched by the performances from Jason Watkins and Noah Valentine. They both bring layers of anxiety, insecurity and desire to the table, with a light edge of desperation for affection. Valentine strongly brings through the youth and inexperience of his character, as well as his curiosity, he’s sweet and charming. While Watkins brings through a loneliness, a sadness and deep desire for comfort. The two of them build a very natural connection, one that is initially rocky but blossoms into something effortless.
The tones of their performances, and the emotions they deliver, are all so well complemented by the cinematography from Rob Wilton. It’s strong work from start to finish, it has an excellent grain and captures the feel of Geronto’s story very well, particularly alongside the editing work from Guy K. Ward. However, it feels like the focus was a little too narrow, dedicating the film to the idea of dispelling the stigma around gerontophilia (a sexual attraction to elderly people) feels like the weaker element of this film. There were so many more emotional layers to explore which go underserved, and result in the ending being fairly flat.
Geronto was very clearly made with admirable intentions to explore societal taboos and to create a touching exploration of intimacy, no matter their age. While that works, it doesn’t feel like it was the most interesting element at work in this story. However, it’s well shot, it moves with a gentle, thoughtful touch and Jason Watkins and Noah Valentine both give moving, warm and tender performances.
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