The enigmatically entitled The Toilers and the Wayfarers is a cautionary tale of sorts, although the message it conveys is a muddled one. Phillip (Woodhouse) and Dieter (Klemp), 16-year-old boys growing up in the little town of New Ulm, Minnesota, find their friendship threatened when one day Phillip impulsively proclaims his love for the still-closeted Dieter. Rejected by the sexually confused Dieter, Phillip leaves the small-mindedness of small-town America for the big city of Minneapolis. Dieter soon follows after his puritanical and stern father whips him, based on suspicions of his son’s sexual orientation. While The Toilers and the Wayfarers contemplates the isolationism that comes from being different, whether that difference is one of nationality or sexual orientation, it never fully realizes the notion. In many respects, the movie feels incomplete — the storyline is sketchy, lacking in a real sense of narrative continuity. It’s too bad that everything doesn’t come together in this heartfelt but underdeveloped film. Nevertheless, because it explores themes seldom touched upon in the Queer New Wave, The Toilers and the Wayfarers is an honorable effort, albeit not always a successful one.
This article appears in July 25 • 1997 (Cover).
