Put three multi-generational, multiracial, almost nude characters together and what do you get? The answer is Steam, an earnest, if uneven, “multiple storyline” tale of three women and their complicated love lives.
The central conceit – and the title of the film – comes from the meeting place of our three protagonists: the steam room at a local health club. Doris (Ruby Dee), an older African-American woman, walks in, greeting Elizabeth (Kate Siegel) a semi-closeted college student and Laurie (Ally Sheedy). Soon, we break into the women’s lives, which couldn’t possibly be more different, but for the broad strokes.
We begin with Doris. Her husband passed away not long ago, and she’s still in mourning, refusing to play the old piano she keeps hidden away in a locked room, despite her love of music. Adding to her misery, she’s hounded by a nosey preacher and his two cronies.
Soon, she meets a gentleman named August (Dick Anthony Williams), at the grocery store, who seems to love music and dancing as much as she does. It all begins with a very amusing fight in the produce aisle and soon evolves into dating and eventually a romance that is sweet and frankly, adorable. Unfortunately, it’s complicated by the fact that August’s son doesn’t accept what he sees to be his late mother’s “replacement.”
Next, we move on to Laurie, a divorced, overworked single mom trying to make ends meet for her son TJ. She faces off against her insensitive ex-husband, who threatens her with legal papers and snide comments at every turn and generally does anything he can to make her life miserable.
She begins to date TJ’s hunky young football coach at the advice of her horny friend Jacky (the hilarious Chelsea Handler, doing her very best soccer mom impression), much to the consternation of her son and her ex.
Finally, we have Elizabeth, a closeted 19-year-old college student who lives under the thumb of her tyrannical, conservative parents. In between fighting for her independence and being a good church-going daughter, she falls for a sexy classmate (Niala, played by Reshma Shetty) and gets caught up in a whirlwind romance that would make any queer woman’s head spin, let alone that of an innocent co-ed.
All in all, we have three storylines about women dealing with difficult love lives at different stages of life. It’s a great premise, and there’s plenty of substance here, but sadly, the quality varies wildly among the threads.
It’s perhaps most unfortunate that the lesbian storyline suffers from a totally bizarre tonal shift. It’s a fairly standard “girl meets girl” tale, complete with familial pressure and coming out woes, but it swings wildly from campy and funny to deadly serious, often within the space of a single scene.
When we first encounter Niala, she’s walking into a classroom in slow motion with a hip-hop beat in the background, swinging her hips like she’s in a 90s rap video. It’s cute and funny – but more than a little clichéd. Even worse, she and Elizabeth actually have their first verbal exchange over a dropped pen.
Later, when they go on a first date, Niala seems almost predatory, demanding public affection and practically licking her chops in anticipation of getting Elizabeth home. It’s confounding – the audience is left to ponder whether Niala is just a sexy, forward lady or a total jerk. Her oddly hostile roommates don’t help the situation either – making all of the lesbian characters in the film come off as unlikeable people.
It does serve to make our doe-eyed heroine a more sympathetic character, however artificially. Her parents are almost caricatures of angry, controlling family members. Her father is judgmental and downright mean, while her mother barely even speaks. She’s a classic example of a young woman being pinned down by conservative family pressure, while it’s clear from her scenes with Niala that she’s absolutely ready to embrace her sexuality and be herself.
However, it’s difficult to root for a character that engages in an abysmal poetry-reading scene. If there’s one cliché that lesbian filmmaking would truly be better off without, it is this.
Thankfully, the other storylines are more interesting and entirely without the tonal weirdness (or amateur poetry reading). The Doris story is extremely poignant, since it’s essentially a simple meditation on finding true love late in life. As one might expect, Dee is an acting force to be reckoned with, and Williams is superb as the infinitely lovable August. It’s the most bittersweet of the threads, but in every way, also the most resonant.
Ally Sheedy’s turn as Laurie is also successful, mostly because of the frustrating realism of the situation. While the romance between her and coach Roy isn’t exactly on fire, her other relationships are well developed and nuanced. The scenes with her son are particularly well done, and every appearance of Chelsea Handler is a cause for celebration.
If only Roy himself weren’t such a dud – one wishes that the stereotypical “cougar” aspects were played down a bit more, and that the romance itself had a bit more life to it.
The film looks and sounds like a fairly polished low-budget effort. The cinematography is simple and professional, the music inoffensive and fun (minus the cheesiness of Niala’s initial walk-in). It’s about on par with your average queer film festival fare – not a headliner, but certainly a product of capable hands.
Steam does do love scenes quite well – living up to its title nicely. The aforementioned chemistry between Elizabeth and Niala is particularly appealing – making their scenes together really light up the screen, especially once they stop talking and start kissing.
It’s far from groundbreaking and rough around the edges, but Steam certainly has its moments. Come for the attractive leads and lesbian storyline, but stay for the depth and the Ruby Dee.
Steam is available on DVD.
