My Own Private Idaho

This film definitely deals with issues of homosexuality, but I think it also strongly deals with issues of identity. I think this is seen most prominently in Keanu Reeves character. He is the son of a rich family that is very prim and proper, but seems to reject that for most of his life. He floats through his life being gay hustler to make money, even though he really doesn't need money. He hangs out with these people, he identifies strongly with Bob and calls him his true father. And yet he really feels to me that he is kind of dissatisfied with this life. He speaks about how he's excited when he turns 21 and gets his inheritance to prove that he can be a real adult, and how his parents will be proud of him because the change is so drastic. He almost feels like he is taking on this identity that he has right now solely so that he can change his identity and have a better more drastic identity later in life. It's confusing. But It's pretty compelling too. You can see his lack of wanting to identify with Bob and his people by the way he pulls the prank with Mike to steal the money from Bob and the guys after they rob somebody. It seems as though he's doing these things because it's all he can do in his life, but he really isn't satisfied with them, and really just wants to change his circumstances. But he has to wait for the right time, almost. And when he meets Carmilla, things change. He discovers the identity he wants to have. He wants to be a prim and proper adult, he wants this girl, he doesn't want to be gay anymore. And so he changes, for his father, and for himself too. He becomes what he thinks he wants to be. There's no telling if he'll be happy or not. But he's trying.