Lonesome is happy to be a provocative talking point, establishing Boreham as a queer film-maker unafraid of making an important or niche work.

Lavery and Boreham make sex as much a character arc as a site of passion, a rare trick in modern film. By the midpoint of "Lonesome," sex isn’t just a means of survival for Casey; it’s a silent language expressing his desire to be loved.

“Lonesome” demonstrates a mature use of sex in cinema, a treatment that communicates narrative purpose without diminishing sex’s animalistic, physical side.

Though Lonesome intends to investigate the innate connections between violence, trauma, and sex, its point is largely muddled by the sparing plot...