Simultaneously turning to both the past and the present, director Duncan Roy bases his film on an earlier, more explicitly gay version of Wilde’s story than the one most people are familiar with, but transplants the story from 19th century London to modern-day New York City, the backdrop for this tale of the price one man pays to retain his youth above all else.

Dorian Gray (David Gallagher from TV’s “7th Haven”) is a strikingly beautiful young man whose wealth allows him easy access to Manhattan’s art scene. Desired by all, he captures the attention of artist Basil Howard, who proposes transforming Dorian into his latest piece of art. Intrigued, and seduced by the artist, Dorian consents. But the perfection captured in the resulting video installation portrait haunts Dorian. Purchasing the portrait and hiding it from the public, no one is privy to the grotesque cruelty and decadence its multiple screens reveal over time, while Dorian himself remains untouched through the years. Even as his character descends further into depravity, Gallagher projects a carefully modulated intensity that makes Dorian a seductive onscreen presence.
- Excerpted from the Newfest 2007 film festival catalog.