STORY
Poor Ryker.
Both of his boyfriends, successful songwriter Brian and former UFC champion Ernesto, show up to see his one-man show on the same night. So Ryker (Gavyn Michaels) uses the opportunity to come clean. Own his truth. Purge the guilt. He's in love with two men. He just can't decide which lover he wants. But a delicious proposal might just settle the question. Ryker wants Brian (Hunter Lee Hughes) and Ernesto (Adrian Quinonez) to fight each other...for him. Winner Takes All.
Seduced by Ryker's charms despite their devastation, Brian and Ernesto agree to fight. Ryker's self-appointed slave Simon (Alec Mapa) transforms the stage into a fighting arena worthy of lovestruck gladiators and the battle begins. Ryker's boxing match releases the primal male capacity to do violence in the name of desire and things quickly get out of control in this dark comedy.
Winner Takes All explores the ideal of gay beauty - its seductive power and its potential for abuse by narcissistic personalities. It delves into gay-on-gay bullying, where violence doesn't always start with a fist. Instead, youth and seduction are the prime weapons of choice. Set against the backdrop of a self-indulgent one-man show, the film examines the all-too-human fascination with unattainable love.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Winner Takes All marks the first movie project by Fatelink Productions, which previously produced independent theatre. We chose Winner Takes All as the beginning of our journey with filmmaking because the story centered around a theatre artist and took place in a theater. So it seemed a natural bridge to make our own transition.
What started as an "experiment" quickly evolved into a positive, career-altering experience for all involved. You see, once we dipped our toes into the water of filmmaking, we found we just didn't have it in us to make an "experiment." We had to go all the way. We're extremely proud of our first film and think it stands as a sharp and colorful insight into the shadow of beauty.
The movie developed over a period of 18 months. We've included some early storyboards of key moments and the way they eventually appeared through the eye of the camera. Sometimes our vision changed because of creative revelations. Other times, it changed because of practical limitations. But we're grateful to all our key crew for their hard work (See: Film Production/Crew) in turning words on a page into sounds and images on a big screen. And a special thanks to Gabriel Flores for his terrific storyboards that helped us get started.
We hope you enjoy Winner Takes All.