Dream Boy : Burke (Possible Spoilers)

Burke (Possible Spoilers)

I'm in the middle of watching Dream Boy and find it odd the way Burke keeps looking at Nathan:
--in the school cafeteria when Roy sits and says Hi to Nathan, Burke doesn't
look too happy;
--when Roy showed up with Nathan at the swimming hole, he doesn't look too
pleased at that way Nathan's eyes were fixed on Roy as he zip-lined into the
pond; he even tried to push Nathan into the water knowing he couldn't swim;
--while Roy was telling the ghost story on the camping trip, again Nathan was
looking at Roy like his life depended on it and Burke didn't seem too pleased;
--when Roy turned Burke down when he offered to help get fire wood; Burke
really looked disappointed;
--as he sat outside his and Randy's tent and watched as Nathan went into the
tent with Roy; that got me thinking maybe on previous camping trips Burke may
have shared the tent with Roy;
--the way he looked at Nathan when he almost slipped on the mossy log and Roy
was so attentive, telling him to be careful; again, if looks could kill.
It's almost like he suspects something is "up" with Nathan and Roy. Even the way he just ripped off his shirt, when he exclaimed how hot it was, and then looked at Nathan was weird. I guess he did that for Roy's benefit and it didn't get the reaction he expected. I'm getting the impression he may have feelings for Roy and is now pissed/jealous of Nathan because he feels Nathan "stole" Roy from him.

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"I don't love you enough to hate you!!"

Re: Burke (Possible Spoilers)

I believe you are correct.

Re: Burke (Possible Spoilers)

Thanks.

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"I don't love you enough to hate you!"

Re: Burke (Possible Spoilers)

It his hard to say whether Burke has some suppressed smoldering sexual desire for Roy, or if he simply saw Nathan as a threat to their (Burke/Roy) friendship. But given what happens near the end of the film, I suspect Burke has some suppressed same sex tendencies. Whether anything happened between Burke and Roy, I doubt it. At least, no direct contact between them. On a camping trip they may have jerked off together, but I seriously doubt it ever went farther than that.

Everything you said it true, and I think everyone of those things represent a subliminal and intentional plot elements. Slight hints at Burke jealousy and desires. I think his suspicion of Nathan and Roy simply reflect his own suppressed fantasies. Fantasies that given the time and place Burke knows can never be realized. So, yes, certainly an element of jealousy, though he would never admit it.

I wonder if anyone who has read the books could give us more insight into Burke?

Re: Burke (Possible Spoilers)


I wonder if anyone who has read the books could give us more insight into Burke?

I too would be interested.
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I don't love you enough to hate you!

Re: Burke (Possible Spoilers)

In the book what happens is pretty much the same thing we see in the movie, only that on a written text you can actually know what is going on in the characters' minds while in the movie you have to interpret it from their acting. In the book we always see Burke from Nathan and Roy's point of view. To Nathan he is a toughie always showing off and boasting, trying to humiliate Nathan and to impress Roy. He stares at Nathan now and again, making him feel weak and very uncomfortable, as if Burke knew Nathan and Roy's secret. And as he begins to realise the close friendship between the two it actually becomes clear to the reader that Burke suspects what is going on between them. Nathan always feels nervous and lost for words when Burke is around, and while Roy notices the way Burke watches Nathan, he doesn't give it much thought. It was during the camping trip when I began to suspect that Burke's funny behaviour and constant macho body language might be an indication of simple jealousy from a closeted homosexual. And I was right.

Re: Burke (Possible Spoilers)

Thanks for the insight. It's been so long since I've watched Dream Boy I have to rewatch armed with this information you provided.

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I don't love you enough to hate you!
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