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...
Four, twenty something share a house in Sydney. Kat, our lead female actress also gives shelter to her teenage cousin Nate, who is thrown out of the house in the middle of night for being gay. The film starts on a very simmer note. But soon we get intertwined in the lives of multiple characters. We meet Blake, a lesbian who works in a non-profit. Kat and Blake occasionally have sexual encounters while Kat thinks she definitely prefers men. Blake, meanwhile is definitely in love with Kat. We also Sam, a gorgeous guy who is dating a very popular drag artist. Sam soon finds out that he is HIV positive and has to come to terms with what it really means to live with the stigma in today's day and age. Nate is struggling to find his foothold and love in the big bad city of Sydney, while Kat is struggling with her sexuality. Together, this group of people, with the fear of being alone, depression, drugs, secrets, discrimination, HIV, and dealing with everyday life in a not-so-accepting world, the film takes us into the journey of characters without a proper end.
I think the intention of the film was fine, but it was just all over the place . Also getting three male actors who look so much similar was not a good idea. It took me almost half of the film to figure out who's who and what was the relationship. The way the film jumps into all the characters at once, makes it hard for us to figure out who to focus on. With a very strong start when Nate gets thrown out of home, I was hoping for stronger content, but Nate somehow gets side tracked and Kat becomes the leading lady until suddenly the focus in on HIV+ Sam and his issues. I think all that is fine, because it is supposed to be an ensemble, but I think the films suffers from a lack of proper screenplay. It's just hard to focus on or invest into any character when there is constant juggle, without giving time to audience to digest. The story would have worked better as a series with more win depth character study. The makers have tried to cram in all the issues that the LGBTQIA community faces in a small film which hampers the effect of even a single issue. (4/10)
Comments