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A River Made To Drown In is a metaphor for the infamous Santa Monica Boulevard, in Hollywood, California. On these streets, prostitutes of every gender, ply their trade. Merendino chose to show-case the lives of gay prostitutes...who daily wade out into the murky waters...deeper...deeper...into the depths of degradation. It is a life involving street hustlers, most of them very young boys, who use men, and in turn are ultimately used themselves. Allen Hayden is played by Michael Imperoli (The Sopranos), is a young street-wise hustler, who uses people and then discards them, without feeling or meaningful involvement. Ute Lemper plays Eva, the wealthy owner of an art gallery. Allen hustles Eva to get his art exhibited, but withholds from her his involvement in homosexual activities. James Duval plays Jaime, a very young street hustler, who experiences guilt over his actions, attempting to find solace in Buddhism without success. Richard Chamberlain brilliantly plays Thaddeus MacKenzie, once a big-name attorney, who enjoyed a thriving practice, and the charms of the young boys he represented in court. A gay "predator" at heart, he always offered his young male clients far more than his "professional" services. When Thaddeus discovers he is dying of aids, he sells all his worldly belongings and heads back to the boulevard to find the two hustlers he has "loved most." The story begins with the arrival of the flamboyant Thaddeus, dressed in a designer white suit, requesting to stay with Allen in his seedy apartment. He sends the confused Allen, on a search for Jaime, claiming they are the only two hustlers he has ever loved, and wants them both present, when he dies. Jaime returns to Allen's apartment, and the boys agonize as they watch their "old friend" die. Both do some serious soul searching...looking at their own values...attempting to come to terms with what is important in life.
You can wade into the water, By Judy Crocker
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A River Made To Drown In was made in 1996. Richard Chamberlain had just finished filming, when he appeared on Larry King Live that same year. He enthusiastically admitted to thoroughly enjoying his experience making this film, and even though it had not been put together yet, he had high hopes for its success. James Merendino, the producer/director of this controversial movie had high hopes for its success also, but when the film was finally put together, he took his name off the credits, and passed it off under his pseudo-name, Alan Smithee. That was his way of stating it was a huge theatrical disappointment.
The sad thing about this story, is that no one seemed to come to terms with anything "life saving," for it was a given, that if you stay on the boulevard long enough...it becomes A River Made To Drown In...and drown they did! Jaime's guilt and exploration of Buddhism didn't stop him from returning to the streets where he continued to sell himself. Allen despairs when he realizes he is incapable of experiencing true love. He is deeply affected by Thaddeus's return, but he is unable to move forward...so he steps back...into the murky waters...pulled down into the blinding darkness...forced by the undercurrent of degradation...down...down...into the depths of destruction. It was a dark film, depicting the ugliness and depravity, of human beings using other human beings. Some of these scenes are very difficult to watch. In the end, Thaddeus, distraught at the lack of concern and love from his "old friends," commits suicide, and though he represents "success" in life, he drowns in the river with everyone else.