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...
Three young, late-teenage friends Adrian, Santiago and Daniel go for a camping trip near the beach. This trip is supposed to be about friends spending time together and chill. They all have this amazing chemistry between them. In a brief moment while swimming Daniel and Santiago end up kissing each other. Santiago moves on but it sticks with Daniel , who clearly has stronger feelings for Santiago. To deal with this, he somehow drifts away from Adrian as well. Enter Julie, whom both Adrian and Santiago want to win. She starts a relationship with Santiago, mentioning how Adrian is the cute one among the three and this makes Daniel uncomfortable because he wants Santiago. At just the same time, Adrian is struggling with some personal family issues. Julie keeps asking if Daniel is gay because she senses a desire in him for Santiago. Because of constant nudge, Santiago gets fed up and breaks up with Julie. Daniel confronts him asking about his feelings but Santiago tells him that he is not sure about what he wants, which Daniel interprets as him wanting to stay as a closet gay. Julie then hangs on to Adrian and one morning at the beach asks Santiago and Daniel if they are a couple now. This leads to a rift between friends, because Adrian finds himself blinded with all these developments and he doesn’t take it easily that Daniel is gay. A camping trip that was supposed to be fun filled ends up in a much different way than either of them could have ever imagined.
Story may sound simple but thats the beauty of it. I found it very very real account and depiction of youth and friendship and love. None of the scenes were over the top but at the same time, they conveyed beautiful emotions and thoughts of what the individuals must have been going through. Daniel’s walking around alone with a handy camera and struggling for his feelings for Santiago was amazing. I loved it when he tells Santiago that “he gets nervous around him and he gets chills in his body when he is around him but he loves that feeling and he will never be able to change that”, shows a sign of young love and what it means to actually have that feeling for special someone. When love is love and is not about sex or anything. Adrian is absolutely fantastic when he hears about the news of his grandfather’s death and how he deals with those emotions. I thought that whole scene was magical and performed with so much maturity. I feel in love with Adrian right then and there. And finally, Santiago, the most handsome of them all and the character with most conflict internally. He os not sure of his feelings but knows that he doesn’t want to lose his friends. There is virtually no bedroom or– action scenes here, so please keep your expectations accordingly. One thing that I am not very sure of is why was the film set in 1996. There was no reason for that because this could very easily be a movie set in today’s time and be equally relevant.
A great screenplay, wonderful matured acting and a superb direction makes this film a definite watch. When you have the above three join forces, there is no reason this film should not be reaching out to a wider audience. (8/10)
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