Speaking Parts 1989

Speaking Parts follows Lance, Michael McManus, a struggling bit-part actor who works as a hotel custodian—a front for his real job as a gigolo under the watchful eye of his female supervisor Patricia Collins. A co-worker, Lisa, Arsinée Khanjian, is obsessed with him, but he keeps his distance. Lisa’s fixation drives her to rent every film in which Lance appears as an extra, from Eddy’s Tony Nardi video store—though Lance has never landed a speaking part.

One day, Lance notices a film script in a hotel room and leaves his acting resumé there. The room’s occupant turns out to be screenwriter Clara, Gabrielle Rose, who is working on a forthcoming television movie based on the true story of her deceased brother and herself. Clara invites Lance to audition for the lead and the two begin an affair that complicates both of their lives. As their relationship deepens, Clara becomes increasingly unsettled by the behind-the-scenes reality: the movie’s producer David Hemblen is altering the personal story she wants to tell.

Tension builds as the lines between fiction and life blur, exposing the fragility of desire, memory, and control. Lance finds himself pulled between the demands of an intimate relationship, the expectations of a film project that mirrors a painful family history, and the persistent, unspoken dynamics at the hotel where he works. Lisa’s mounting obsession with Lance intersects with Clara’s fragile trust in her own storytelling, and the three perspectives begin to unravel together. The film traces how each character negotiates power, longing, and memory, revealing how easily art can distort reality and how personal histories can collide with the commercial pressures of making a movie.