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There's something undeniably magnetic about watching two people from completely different worlds collide, clash, and ultimately fall for each other. And when it comes to gay romance that perfectly captures the "opposites attract" trope, Latter Days delivers a story that's equal parts steamy, heartbreaking, and transformative.
Released in 2003, this cult classic MM romance film explores what happens when a shallow West Hollywood party boy meets a devout Mormon missionary. Spoiler alert: sparks fly, hearts break, and both men are forever changed. If you're a fan of MM romance books that feature emotional depth alongside sexual tension, the dynamic between Christian Markelli and Aaron Davis will feel both familiar and profoundly moving.
The Ultimate Clash: Party Boy Meets Missionary
Let's set the scene. Christian Markelli is everything you'd expect from a West Hollywood twentysomething: gorgeous, vain, openly gay, and completely focused on his next hookup or party. He's an aspiring actor who works as a waiter, sleeps around without a second thought, and treats relationships like disposable commodities. Emotional depth? Not his thing.
Enter Aaron Davis, fresh off the plane from Idaho with three fellow Mormon missionaries. Aaron is earnest, religiously devout, and completely committed to his faith and family expectations. He's never questioned his path: until he moves in next door to Christian.
These two aren't just different; they're "perhaps the two most opposite people in the world," as the film itself acknowledges. One lives for pleasure and instant gratification. The other has dedicated his life to service, sacrifice, and religious duty. It's a setup that practically begs for conflict: and for chemistry.
The Bet That Changes Everything
Christian's pursuit of Aaron doesn't start with pure intentions. In fact, it starts with a bet. Christian's roommate challenges him to seduce the "cute Mormon boy" next door, suspecting (correctly) that Aaron might be hiding his true sexuality beneath all that religious conviction.
What begins as a shallow game quickly becomes something neither man expects. Christian starts paying attention to Aaron, finding excuses to interact, testing boundaries. And Aaron? Despite his best efforts to maintain his missionary focus, he can't deny the pull he feels toward his charming, infuriating neighbor.
This is where Latter Days brilliantly captures something many gay romance novels explore: the tension between desire and duty, between who we're told to be and who we actually are. Aaron's struggle isn't just about attraction: it's about his entire identity, his family, his community, and his place in the world.
When Shallow Meets Deep
One of the most compelling aspects of Christian and Aaron's relationship is how they challenge each other to grow. Christian initially sees Aaron as just another conquest, but their interactions begin to crack his carefully constructed shallow persona.
A pivotal moment comes when Aaron helps Christian after an injury. It's a simple act of kindness, but it reveals Aaron's genuine compassion: something Christian isn't used to experiencing in his hookup-centered world. For the first time, Christian encounters someone who sees past his looks and actually cares about him as a person.
Meanwhile, Aaron is forced to confront feelings he's spent his entire life suppressing. The Mormon Church's stance on homosexuality means that acknowledging his attraction to Christian isn't just about coming out: it's about potentially losing everything: his family, his faith community, his sense of purpose.
The Turning Point: Values in Conflict
The film doesn't shy away from the fundamental values clash between these two men. In one devastating scene, their different worldviews collide head-on. Aaron suggests that intimacy should have emotional meaning, that sex should be about connection. Christian's response? "It doesn't have to mean anything."
Aaron's reaction is immediate and hurt: he calls Christian shallow and walks away. And he's not wrong: at least not about who Christian has been up to this point.
But here's where the MM romance trope of opposites attract really shines: both men are right in their own way, and both need to learn from each other. Aaron needs to discover that pleasure and desire aren't inherently sinful. Christian needs to learn that vulnerability and emotional intimacy can be more fulfilling than endless surface-level encounters.
Christian's Transformation
What separates Latter Days from shallower romance narratives is Christian's genuine character development. His feelings for Aaron inspire him to volunteer at a charity delivering meals to people living with AIDS: a storyline that grounds the film in the real struggles of the LGBTQ+ community.
Through this volunteer work, Christian gains perspective. He encounters people who are fighting for survival, who have been rejected by families and communities, who have found meaning in connection and service. It's a direct contrast to his previous lifestyle, and it fundamentally changes him.
This transformation makes Christian's love for Aaron authentic. It's not just about winning a bet or sexual conquest anymore. He's genuinely fallen for this earnest, complicated missionary who challenged him to be a better person.
Aaron's Journey: The Price of Authenticity
Aaron's journey is perhaps even more painful. When their relationship is discovered, Aaron faces the full force of his church's condemnation. He's sent to a conversion therapy facility, rejected by his family, and forced to choose between his authentic self and everything he's ever known.
The film doesn't sugarcoat the trauma of this experience. Aaron's struggle represents the very real pain that countless LGBTQ+ people have faced: and continue to face: when religious communities prioritize doctrine over love.
But it's Christian's unwavering love that ultimately gives Aaron the courage to choose himself. In a pivotal airport scene, Christian pursues Aaron and confesses his feelings, offering Aaron a vision of what life could be if he embraces his truth.
Why This Romance Still Resonates
More than two decades after its release, Latter Days remains a touchstone in gay fiction for several reasons:
It takes both characters seriously. Neither Christian nor Aaron is a caricature. Both have legitimate perspectives, real flaws, and genuine growth arcs.
It doesn't shy away from hard topics. The film addresses religious trauma, conversion therapy, family rejection, and the AIDS crisis: all while maintaining hope and romance.
It shows that opposites can complete each other. Christian learns emotional depth; Aaron discovers self-acceptance. Together, they become more whole.
It's genuinely sexy. The chemistry between these two characters is palpable, making their eventual connection all the more satisfying.
For readers who love MM romance books with the opposites attract trope, Christian and Aaron's story offers a blueprint for what makes this dynamic work: genuine character development, authentic conflict, and the recognition that sometimes the person most different from us is exactly who we need.
The Legacy of Latter Days
Latter Days paved the way for more nuanced LGBTQ+ fiction in film and inspired countless gay romance narratives that followed. The opposites attract trope has since been explored in everything from contemporary MM romance to gay historical romance, but Christian and Aaron's story remains a powerful example of how this dynamic can create both tension and transformation.
Their relationship proves that love isn't about finding someone exactly like you: it's about finding someone who challenges you to grow, who sees you at your worst and chooses you anyway, who makes you want to be better than you were yesterday.
Whether you're discovering Latter Days for the first time or revisiting it as a classic, the chemistry between Christian and Aaron offers a masterclass in opposites attract romance. It's messy, it's complicated, and it's absolutely worth the emotional journey.
Looking for more compelling MM romance stories? Check out Read with Pride for a curated collection of gay romance books featuring all your favorite tropes, from enemies to lovers to forced proximity and beyond.
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