Overview
Shank is a 2009 British drama film starring Wayne Virgo, Marc Laurent, Alice Payne, Tom Bott and Garry Summers. The film was written by Darren Flaxstone and Christian Martin, directed by Simon Pearce & Christian Martin (uncredited), and produced by independent filmmaker Robert Shulevitz and Christian Martin.
The film won an Audience award in the 2009 Barcelona International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival as well as the Emerging Talent in Queer Cinema in 2009 at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
Plot
In Bristol, Cal (Wayne Virgo) is a 19-year-old closeted gay gang member who has nothing in his life except drugs, sex, random acts of violence and a secret that he keeps hidden from his mates. An online hookup for sex with a stranger, Scott (Garry Summers), ends in him assaulting and abandoning Scott out in the countryside. This temporarily satisfies but fails to dampen his unspoken desires for his best mate, Jonno (Tom Bott). Nessa (Alice Payne), their twisted, foul-mouthed and controlling, de facto gang leader who harbours much hatred towards everyone for losing a child at the age of 14, suspects that there is something going on between them but is unable to confirm it. Jonno, putty in Nessa's hands, cannot express his own deep rooted and unrequited attachment to Cal. Manipulating situations that bring her closer to having her suspicions confirmed, Nessa sets out about dividing loyalties and encouraging conflict.
An innocent student, Olivier (Marc Laurent), falls victim to one of Nessa’s plans and is mugged on her orders by the gang. Cal steps in to restrain them and creates a distraction allowing Olivier to run free. Ignoring Nessa's screams of contempt, he chases after him and offers him a lift by way of an apology. Fearing that the fall-out from Nessa for his actions will be harsh, Cal persuades Olivier to help him out. Seizing the moral high ground and sensing that there was something more to Cal's Good Samaritan act, Olivier allows Cal to stay with him for a few days. Acting on his own attraction to Cal, Olivier seduces him and in doing so, exposes Cal to new emotions and a tenderness that he has never experienced before.
Soon, the boys are overtaken by the embrace of the first flush of love. Cal and Olivier's relationship progress, but Olivier is warned by Scott, who happens to be one of his professors, to be wary of Cal. Scott gives Olivier his phone number and tells Olivier to contact him if he is ever in need of help.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).