{"id":2506,"date":"2026-06-19T07:37:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T07:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2506"},"modified":"2026-06-19T07:37:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T07:37:47","slug":"what-to-watch-young-lust-and-danger-fuel-leviticus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2506","title":{"rendered":"What to watch: Young lust, and danger, fuel ‘Leviticus’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What\u2019s it gonna be? A scary\/sexy horror movie that deserves to follow in the lucrative footsteps of \u201cObsession?\u201d A gruesome take on the Robin Hood fable?<\/p>\n

Read more Landmark Oakland office tower is foreclosed as market weakness widens<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find both in theaters this week.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our roundup.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeviticus\u201d:<\/strong> The horror film renaissance shows zero signs of abating and director\/writer Adrian Chiarella\u2019s scary and sexy debut, a breakout hit at this year\u2019s Sundance Film Festival, is doing its part. Chiarella has come up with an ingenious premise that is as twisted as it is thought-provoking. It burrows into the ultimate nightmare for anyone LGBTQ+: That the object of their same-sex desire doubles down in the form of a relentless doppelganger that\u2019s intent on doing them irreparable harm. That\u2019s what teen Naim (Joe Bird), a newbie in small-town Australia, smacks into after he meets, fools around with and falls for the athletic Ryan (Stacy Clausen), a guy wrestling with his own sexuality as well with the libidos of other closeted guys in town. Bird\u2019s and Clausen\u2019s chemistry is off the charts, but it\u2019s when Naim\u2019s jealousy gets the best of him that \u201cLeviticus\u201d sets into motion an evil force. Naim and his overly anxious single mom (Mia Wasikowska) attend rote church services in which the pastor looks to exorcise the LGBTQ+ from sinful boys who like boys and girls who like girls. Chiarella\u2019s film doesn\u2019t stint on the scares, the gore or the social commentary but the violence works twofold \u2014 it reveals the self-hate that gay teens are made to feel as well as the homophobic forces that the queer community stares down every day. \u201cLeviticus\u201d isn\u2019t a polemic, nor does it pound its parable fists too often, but it has plenty to say about homophobia within the constraints of the horror genre. It\u2019s also successful as a sizzling romance about two ill-fated young lovers staring down the fears that want to bind them. It\u2019s one hell of a debut for Chiarella and a calling card for his two lead actors. Props, too, to director of photography Tyson Perkins for cloaking it with moody shadows that fosters its creepy feel. Details:<\/strong> 3\u00bd stars out of 4; opens in theaters June 19.<\/p>\n