Carbon & Water Examines Loneliness and Aging Amongst Gay Men

12th July 2024 John Hernandez

Carbon & Water, the new LGBTQ independent film from IODIN FILMS hits streaming today. Get our full review below.

Carbon & Water, directed by Christopher Clarke, is a meditation on loneliness. The story follows Vince Carver (Malcolm Connolly), a retired chemistry teacher now living in a picturesque but remote seaside village in the northeast of England. At 75 years old we meet him after recently being released from the hospital having had an episode related to his heart.

His days flow monotonously, each day starting with a cup of tea, followed by book reading and then taking a stroll across the beach. The only changes to his routine are occasional visits or phone calls from his old friend Bob Sanderson (played by director Christopher Clarke) and his district nurse, Louise, who is assigned to periodically check in on him.

Director Christopher Clarke as Bob Sanderson

Vince’s loneliness eventually forces him to consider renting out his spare room, if only for the company, which Bob quickly chides him about given his somewhat curmudgeonly demeanor, which is of course spurned forth by his overwhelming loneliness.

In an unexpected twist of fate, his district nurse Louise is replaced by the good natured and laid back Carl Bird (Darren Haywood), a man around 50 years old with kind eyes and a warm smile. Vince is immediately attracted to him and literally counts down the days until his next visit where he finds out that Carl is looking for an apartment, thus resulting in Vince renting him the spare room.

Vince quickly finds himself entangled in an unexpected whirlwind of emotions, falling head of heels for Carl who he finds out is also gay. As he grapples with these newfound feelings, Vince’s attempts to navigate them are riddled with awkward missteps and cringeworthy blunders that can be read as creepy but are ultimately understandable and even relatable knowing how lonely Vince is. As the two men get to know each other things reach a boiling point, and you’ll have to watch the movie yourself to see how it all shakes out.

The film provokes a variety of questions and examines different types of loneliness as experienced by the three main characters. It is easy to see why Vince becomes so enamored with Carl. Lonely, ignored and somewhat forgotten, Vince is enthusiastically grabbing onto a bit of kindness shown to him by a handsome man. It is something that many bears or other people who might feel overlooked can relate to and director Chirstopher Clarke makes a bold move in showcasing this rarely discussed consequence of loneliness in the film.

Bob Sanderson, for all his humor and support is also lonely, navigating a marriage where his husband is away for long periods of time. And then there is Carl who actually seems to flourish in solitude, showing that loneliness is a matter of perspective and not always a bad thing.

All three lead actors do a fine job with their roles and the story moves at a good pace while keeping you engaged. Kyle Falero’s cinematography is gorgeous and a love letter to the coastal village of Staithes, where the movie was filmed. Writer Christopher Bourne and director Christopher Clarke should be commended for centering a film around an elder gay man and for tackling a subject matter we as a community rarely want to talk about. That is the function of cinema, after all.