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...
David is the narrator of the story who happens to be best friends with Mark. Mark is an HIV-positive art student who creates temporary "sculptures" on topics including AIDS, abortion and the Bush economy. He cannot hold on to a job for more than couple of days and does that just to survive. HIs boyfriend is Joey, who works as a garbage collector, picking up trash along the roadways. He sometimes brings home interesting items that he finds on the job. Mark and his father are somewhat distant and out of touch. Joey's relationship with his adoptive parents is also strained because of his father's issues with Joey's homosexuality. Although he remains close with his sister, Joey feels the need to seek out his birth parents through the adoption social service agency. Joey learns the identity of his birth parents, but also learns that they have died. Meanwhile Mark's father is found dead and in his grief he assumes his father's obsession with cathedral building. He becomes obsessed with it and end sup hurting himself, only for Joey to arrive in time to save him. The two decide to just focus on building their life together.
I am really not sure if this narration style was really needed. What was the whole point of David having to tell the story to the audience. The movie continually cuts away from the action to a shot of David talking directly to the camera about his friends and the course of their lives. This could have easily be shown straight through as well. I mean, David was charming and a decent actor, but it was just not needed. It's nice that there were two major "normal" gay people who were very much in love and had their quirks: one had art and the other had collection of weird garbage artifacts. While this normalcy is so much of the movie's charm, it's also a major weakness. This makes it an ordinary film. I am not sure if there was a message that the makers were trying to put out. Was it a sense or need for family, friendship, and comfort in this crazy world? I was hoping that these 2 characters would signify but something, but I cannot, for the life of me figure it out. Watch this, only if you have nothing better to do. And I really hope you have plenty of other better things to do. (3/10)
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