This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
Dennis is having a bad day. He gets laid off from his job of 20 years. His relationship with his long term boyfriend is going through a rough patch for a while. The boyfriend, works (read blogs) from home, so dennis is the primary bread earner. They live in suburbs so that they can be close to Dennis' mother who soon gets ill. Not knowing what to do after he loses his job, he thinks of a couple of things but none of them goes anywhere. When his ailing mother suggests them to get a dog. He goes to the shelter and is shocked to learn that older dogs are routinely euthanized there because of lack of space. To his boyfriend's irritation and disapproval, he brings 2 dogs home and then brings even more when he finds out they are gonna be soon put to rest. Dog after dog, finally Dennis realizes what he can do and ultimately for better, they keep all dogs to save them and the relationship of the couple is also saved.
Story sounds odd, doesn't it. Trust me, while watching I felt the same. Dennis just did not look natural. His helplessness just did not come across even 10%. On the contrast his boyfriend did a pretty decent job. Although the 2 of them did not share any decent chemistry and it wasn't also very clear why they had grown apart per the years. Dennis' mother was over the top with heavy southern accent but still fun to watch.
This is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination. DIfferent cinema doesn't always end in good cinema. (3/10)
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