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...
Selim is a very handsome young man of Algerian descent who has some sort of strained relationship with his father, especially Ince his mother's death. He longs for love and acceptance form his father which he rarely gets. Selim, along with his closest friend Luise, are hustlers, who go out at night drinking looking for clients and mostly going as a couple. One night when they find an older customer who takes liking for Selim, things change. That man provides love and warmth of the kind he was expecting from his father. Selim saves enough money through his work to help with his father's surgery but he refuses to accept his son's money. When he gets bashed for homophobia, he ends up overdosing himself and dies in his hotel room. The father, with the help of Luise, finds out the truth about his son's life and his heartbroken.
I had mixed feelings about the ending of the film. Did the father finally accept and forgive his son, or was it even more hatred. Also, what wasn't clear was why the son and father were estranged? The mother's death, if anything, should have brought them closer. I wish the plot was further developed a little for us to understand the character psyche better. The tone here is rather cold and the characters never cause much compassion. The subject has depth but I feel it wasn't written properly and deeply enough to be able to say something lot more meaningful. The film is simple. Direct and to the point with some good acting. Selim, the actor, was really really good looking and fit the part really well. His eyes conveyed his longing. The other actors did their part ok. Overall its an average film. Not great but you don't get bored either. You just are left feeling wanting to know more. (5/10)
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