TORONTO – In a massive year for LGBTQ+ movies from around the globe , “Ancestors” is sadly one of the few misses. And yet as the first 10 to 20 minutes unspool, you may think you’re witnessing a queer classic. That is the awkward juxtaposition of a movie with a great lead performance and a filmmaker, David Turpin, with a distinct vision that just can’t coalesce. But for a moment? Oh, my.

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It’s 1988 and twentysomething Beau (Éanna Hardwicke) is being haunted by ghosts. In particular, Tiny (Jack Wolfe), the young gay transient, who found a home in the London cafe he works at. Tiny has disappeared and Beau spends hours in the cruising park where they first met looking for anyone who might have seen him. The cafe owner Maurice (Rupert Everett), is less concerned. He’s seen boys like Tiny come and go. He knows how this story ends before Beau can even consider the worst case scenario.

As Beau’s obsession continues, Turpin plays with the narrative stucture in flashbacks that are often confusing, but chronicle how Beau brought Tiny on as a lodger, only to push him away when he was needed the most. Those ghosts also include Gloria (Christina Hendricks) a fictional golden age stars idolized by Maurice. Is Beau dreaming of her presence or is she a mainfestation of something else? And why does Beau connect to her? On the sidelines, trying to keep an eye on her close friend is Shell (Jessica Reynolds). She adores Beau, but in this era of the AIDS plague fears for him.

It’s obvious that Turpin has talent and he has a story he wants to tell about the horrors of this particular era. He recoginzes talent in actors such as Hardwicke and wolfe and he has a cinematic eye. His use of the 3:2 aspect ratio and creative collaboration with director of photography Patrick Jordan give the movie a distinct aesthetic that sedueces more than it should. Moreover, “Ancestors” features one of the most heartbreaking death scenes we’ve seen in forever. A quiet hospital passing until it’s not. But the overall movie becomes more and more of a muddled mess as it goes on. It spins in circles with storylines that are screaming to be simplified. Only a peformance from Hardwicke that practially jumps off the screen keeps your attention. Hardwick is so good he makes he Oliver Award-nominated Wolfe often seem pedestrian and the Everett casting more on the nose than it is (although Turpin giving the veteran actor cliche lines such as “I’m an old queen in a cardigan” doesn’t help).

But wait, we’re not done.

“Ancestors” also suffers from too many musical performances that feel oddly out of place. As though they were set in a fake club or cabaret space from a badly made gay movie 30 years ago. They add nothing to the tone or dreamlike state Turpin is attempting to evoke overall. Throw in an extended second ending that feels uncessary, the Gloria sequences that fall flat and you have a movie that simply feels overstuffed. Sometimes, less is more. Much more. “Ancestors” could have benefited from Turpin taking that into account. But as a showcase for Hardwicke? We’ll take it. [C]

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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry’s most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he’s the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.