Rainbow Network (UK), April 2007

Who hasn't had a run of bad luck and thought, 'Wouldn't it be great to be straight'? Well, maybe 'great' is not the word, but with homophobia and inequality still prevalent at the very least life could be a tad easier. Hard Pill takes that throwaway thought and runs with it as a fictitious new wonder drug paves the way for a look at what would happen if we turned our back on homosexuality and also the impact it would have on our family and friends.

Tim is our unlikely hero; a chronically single gay man of a certain age, who spends his life bemoaning his lot to his fag hag best friend, Sally, and his commitment-phobe, scene queen pal, Joey. His only sexual outlet is bribing the straight Don into letting him giver him a blow-job and wanking off to porn, webcams and over (unfortunately for Tim, not literally) his young, 'is he or isn't he' work colleague Matt.

After one bad night at the local club watching Joey pull too many, Tim decides to resort to drastic measures and volunteers for a drugs trial for a new gay 'cure'. It seems to work and he embarks on a relationship with Tanya. But the side-affects are far from perfect.

Wild passion explodes just after a dose is taken, which leads to his relationship with Sally taking an unfortunate turn for the worse. Concerns that it may not be working and the problems of coming out and fitting in leads to him turning his back on his friends - with disastrous consequences. And what happens when the course has run its course...

In his debut feature, John Baumgartner handles a controversial subject matter with maturity and a deftness of touch. With Jonathan Slavin as Tim, he creates an everyman figure that makes you, no matter how happy you are with your lot, empathise with him and understand why he chooses to try to conform.

The realisation that love is all around in other hands could have been too saccharine for us to swallow this particular pill, but Baumgartner downs the message with tragedy and comedy to help us swallow it.

A moralistic, what-if drama, Hard Pill manages to flit between genres, with comedy, rom com and fantasy all vying for space in a plot packed full of twists, well-drawn characters above all heart. And for the latter alone it's worthy of your time.