''Suffering Man's Charity'', later released as ''Ghost Writer'', is a 2007

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...

directed by Alan Cumming, written by playwright Thomas Gallagher, and starring Alan Cumming and

David Boreanaz David Paul Boreanaz ( born May 16, 1969) is an American actor, television producer, and director known for playing the roles of vampire-turned-private investigator Angel on The WB/ UPN ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' Supernatural fiction, supernat ...

Plot

John, an eccentric music teacher, takes in Sebastian, a younger writer, ostensibly in an effort to help him, but is really attracted to him. When Sebastian starts dating a woman and it becomes serious, John starts a fight that ultimately results in Sebastian's accidental death. John then finds the

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced ...

of Sebastian's surprising, unpublished book and decides to publish it as his own.

Cast

* Alan Cumming as John Vandermark *

as Sebastian St. Germain *

Anne Heche Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater, receiving numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy ...

as Helen Jacobsen *

Henry Thomas Henry Jackson Thomas Jr. (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and had a lead role in the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), for which he won a Young Artist Award and received Golden Glob ...

as Eric Rykell *

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

as Renee *

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series ''Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recogn ...

as Ingrid Sorensen *

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983). She reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015), ''The Last ...

as Reporter *

Maria-Elena Laas Maria-Elena Laas is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent. Early life Maria-Elena Laas was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and raised in Saudi Arabia and Japan.

as Liliana *

Rachelle Lefevre Rachelle Marie Lefèvre (, ; born February 1, 1979) is a Canadian actress. She has starred in the television series ''Big Wolf on Campus'' and had recurring roles in '' What About Brian'', ''Boston Legal'', and ''Swingtown''. She played the vamp ...

as Elaine *Ermahn Ospina as Pedro *Alison Guh as Evelyn

External links

* * 2007 direct-to-video films American LGBT-related films Films directed by Alan Cumming 2007 comedy horror films 2007 horror films American comedy horror films LGBT-related comedy horror films 2007 films Films scored by Paul Cantelon Ghostwriting in fiction 2007 comedy films 2007 LGBT-related films 2000s American films {{LGBT-film-stub