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...
A Canadian English film with a French title? I am not sure of the reason behind it, but oh well, such is life. The film is not purely a queer themed film, but since one of the two characters is gay, it qualifies in my rules to be reviewed here. The story is about two friends and a couple of others 30-something youngsters in Canada trying to get a grip on their sexuality and place in the world.
David, a 30ish gay man is waiter by profession. He was a child actor but has totally given up on it. He spends most of his nights in different clubs looking for casual hookups. He spends most of the time with the 18 year old busboy who works with him and is clearly has hots for him. David's roommate is Candy, straight girl, book reviewer and David's ex-lover from another life time. She still years for David and feels no man is good enough for her. She experiments with a lesbian Jerry who completely falls for her while also flirting with a bartender who angers Candy when he doesn’t want to bed her. David hangs out with his misogynist old straight friend Bernie quite a bit. Another friend is a young S&M specialist who, in one extreme and hilarious case, calls upon David to help her out. While we meet all these folks, there is a serial killer on the loose killing young girls and we are told that the murderer could be any of these 5-6 people.
There is absolutely no character build up. I understand that this is an adaptation from a play, but still!. Why is David, who happens to be a very good looking man avoiding love and relationships. Why does he spend most time with the busboy when he clearly is not even interested sexually in him. Why is Candy still so much in love with David despite knowing now of his preferences. Answers to these questions would have helped. Homosexuality and Lesbianism are not of any consequences here. What is weird is the feeling of guilt related to the characters who are rather in a fix regarding their feelings towards each other and sexuality. I am really not sure what as the whole point behind making this film. The film has been publicized as a comedy. On the contrary, I found it more like a tragedy. The two lead actors did a good job, but there was nothing really in the film that held my attention. The serial killer angle was such a drab and you really could guess very easily from the beginning who the culprit would be.
This movie had two great, compelling characters in Candy and David, but it fell flat on its face looking for a plot. (4/10)

Comments