Departures

After meeting at an airport gate, Benji and Jake’s clandestine relationship unfolds through trips to Amsterdam, revealing complex power dynamics.

After a devastating breakup, broken-hearted Mancunian Benji takes a solo trip to Amsterdam. Staying in the same apartment where he once had monthly trysts with his hunky, closeted ex Jake, Benji struggles to come to terms with the toxic nature of their situationship. Through flashbacks, Benji recalls Jake’s cruel and callous behaviour, as he seeks solace in the city’s booze, drugs, and hook-ups.

Led by writer, co-director, and star Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, Departures is a funny and charming story that also explores toxic masculinity and negative body image within the queer community. Told with authenticity and broad Northern humour, the film highlights the long-term impact of self-loathing and internalised homophobia, with flashbacks to both men’s adolescence revealing a world of pain and shame. Warm, cheeky, and empathetic, it never excuses “all the d***heads who f-ed us over” - to whom the film is teasingly dedicated.