I just watched this movie for the second time. The first time with my husband and after that, alone. He didn't seem to appreciate it as much as I did. In fact, appreciate is a weak word to describe how this movie hit me in the gut. When he asked me how come I liked (loved, actually) the movie, I just said.."it resonates".
I have seen more queer movies that I can even bother to count and most of them are poorly acted, cheesy, have bad production values, and you can tell that they are made "just because". Well, not this one. It's the kind of movie that draws you in as you watch. It is mainly 2 actors having conversations, but what conversations! They are not extraordinary or special...just dealing with emotions and feelings, fears, happiness and the future. It helps of course (tremendously) that those 2 protagonists are very good actors and are easy on the eyes. not twinks or muscle gods, mind you, just good looking guys that you encounter everyday, if one is so lucky. The lovemaking scenes are tender, romantic and oh so nice, I kept being drawn into these very likable and relatable characters . I was completely taken by surprise by a revelation at the middle of the movie that frankly, I wasn't expecting. There was nothing in the previous scenes that gave me any idea of that. From then on, the movie takes off, knowing what I know, this "twist" puts the movie and their characters in a whole new light. The setting of Joshua Tree in the Mojave desert of southern California adds to the quality and beauty of the film, kudos to the cinematographer who did a wonderful job. Overall, the production values, dialogue and acting are top quality.
Kudos to two wonderful actors, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe and Aaron Costa Ganis for such a heartfelt and skillful performance. I also always like Michaela Watkins, who should have had an expanded role in this movie. I hope to see more of these 3 talented actors in the future.
I have seen more queer movies that I can even bother to count and most of them are poorly acted, cheesy, have bad production values, and you can tell that they are made "just because". Well, not this one. It's the kind of movie that draws you in as you watch. It is mainly 2 actors having conversations, but what conversations! They are not extraordinary or special...just dealing with emotions and feelings, fears, happiness and the future. It helps of course (tremendously) that those 2 protagonists are very good actors and are easy on the eyes. not twinks or muscle gods, mind you, just good looking guys that you encounter everyday, if one is so lucky. The lovemaking scenes are tender, romantic and oh so nice, I kept being drawn into these very likable and relatable characters . I was completely taken by surprise by a revelation at the middle of the movie that frankly, I wasn't expecting. There was nothing in the previous scenes that gave me any idea of that. From then on, the movie takes off, knowing what I know, this "twist" puts the movie and their characters in a whole new light. The setting of Joshua Tree in the Mojave desert of southern California adds to the quality and beauty of the film, kudos to the cinematographer who did a wonderful job. Overall, the production values, dialogue and acting are top quality.
Kudos to two wonderful actors, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe and Aaron Costa Ganis for such a heartfelt and skillful performance. I also always like Michaela Watkins, who should have had an expanded role in this movie. I hope to see more of these 3 talented actors in the future.