Set in the early 1920s, Will Seefried’s debut feature, Lilies Not For Me, takes us back to a time when homosexuality was considered a deep sickness in need of a cure. The film follows novelist Owen James as he recounts past relationships to his nurse Dorothy at an asylum, where he’s sent for injections intended to “treat” his sexuality.

Owen’s story centers on his time at a countryside cottage with friend Philip, when their deep feelings emerged. Philip later decides to test an experimental surgery he believes can “cure” queer desire, undergoing the gruesome procedure himself before offering it to Owen. When Charles arrives seeking his father, a romance blossoms that further complicates Owen’s path.

The film contrasts the countryside idyll where Owen and Philip’s love found expression against the grim asylum representing society’s rejection. Through intimate glimpses of longing between the men and the hospital’s cold oppression,...