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ROCK HAVEN seems to have its heart in the right place, showing the conflict between the religious right and human sexuality that occurs between two young teenagers, but the script is minimal, uncomfortable in saying what it really wants to say, and in the end the resulting film is a long drawn out series of a few sentences followed by lengthy views of the ocean and the wild flowers at coastline (even though Bodega Bay is stunningly beautiful to watch!).

Brady (Sean Hoagland) lives at the beach with his mother (Laura Jane Coles) preparing to go to Bible college at summer's end: the two are strongly right wing religious people. Into this rather rigid atmosphere steps Clifford (Owen Alabado) and there is an immediate chemistry between the two young lads - Clifford being openly gay while Brady is so far back in the dark closet that Clifford's mere presence terrifies him. Clifford's mother (Katheryn Hecht) is a free spirit who deals comfortably with her son's feelings and tries to support Brady in his fear of sinning. Brady's mother 'can't change the way she believes' (gay relationships are sinful) and tries to 'change' Brady by encouraging his attraction to a sweet well-meaning girl (Erin Daly) who just happens to understand Brady's needs more than he does! The manner in which this conflict is approached and quasi-resolved is weak as written and directed by David Lewis (who also plays the role of the minister...), and the ending is unsatisfactory at best.

The quality of acting is low on the scale but the sincerity is palpable. The viewer wants to care for these young lads confronting love for the first time, but the situation posed by the meager dialog and the ending keep it from becoming the nice little wisp of a film it could have been. The scenery is the star, but it is hardly the 'haven' for this dilemma that the title suggests. Grady Harp

This is a good movie for the conservative religious to see, in hopes that it might show them the harm their narrow-minded views have, and how unchristian they are, but it's only mediocre at that.

The best part of it is that you really feel the love Clifford feels for Brady, and you really do see how conflicted Brady is over his feelings. Having grown up in rural America, though fortunately not in such a strongly religious household, the fear and denial are *very* real, and the two actors did a good job in their roles.

I also commend the movie for not artificially contriving to hide body parts. When the clothes come off, they come off just like they would for real, so what if you can see what you know is there? Lastly, though like all the messages this was relatively understated, they did hint at the fact that Brady was basically going through "coming out" as religious, though it would have been pretty obvious. Denial goes both ways, and it's a good thing for those of us non-religious sorts to be reminded to treat those we disagree with with the same respect we expect and deserve.

The main problems with the movie are:

1. It's too painful to watch the train wreck for someone who cares about the couple, and I don't think the message is strong enough to hit home the people who need it.

2. The long drawn out "time passing" scenes feel like they're there to make the movie full length without having to write real dialog. The short snippets that comprise scenes are marginal enough that this is probably a good thing.

It wants to be "Latter Days" for mainstream Christians, but falls fairly short, unfortunately.

Ten minutes into Rock Haven I had given up hope. Nothing I've seen on screen had approached the level of overall ineptitude on display here. Suddenly though, when the film descended to a never before revealed level of after-school-movie hell, I realized that this film was actually a kick-ass parody of the "Christian/gay predicament" genre. Haha. Brilliant.

Wrong! To give this film full credit, it's a brainless screed aimed at an audience that outgrew this sort of crap probably in the mid 60's at the latest. A languid melodrama that would be boring at 25 minutes is stretched to 87 deadly minutes with (30+) breaking waves/Pacific/ community shots. Gay audiences - most audiences - are too smart for this idiotic pandering.

Characters have no back story and no depth; and most are written and performed as grotesque stereotypes - most notably Brady, his mother, and, especially, his priest (who makes Paul Linde look like Sam Elliott). Neither IMDb nor the film's website provides full cast credits. Telling. Credit Owen Alabado for an engaged, informed performance that belongs in a much better movie.

Tech credits are sub par across the board: script, score, editing, hilarious lighting, and "cinematography" will have set (-) standards when history is written.

TLA Releasing has, with this dv gem, begun to compete with Wolfe.

If anybody has a radically more positive take on Rock Haven, I'd like to hear it.

The plot of "Rock Haven" (2007) is simple and realistic, though far from original: is being gay an impossibility if you consider yourself a Christian as well?

Brady is a shy, introspective 18 year old spending the summer before going away to college in a small coast town in Northern California. He is there with his widowed mother, who is a devout Christian in the process of establishing a religious school for the local pastor. Brady spends most of his time either reading the bible or staring off at the waves crashing on shore, until he meets a neighbor's free- spirited visiting son, 19 year old Clifford. While we later find out that Brady had some early inklings that he was somewhat attracted to other boys, he never before felt drawn to anyone as he feels to Clifford, and the other boy makes it clear that the feeling is mutual. Sensing his apprehensions and inexperience, Clifford lets their relationship develop slowly over the course of the summer, and, although he kids Brady about being a "nerd" in many of his interests, is careful not to express a conflict with his religious upbringing and convictions.

A beautifully written story by director/writer David Lewis ("Under One Roof"), capably acted by a talented Bay Area cast. While the basic plot is not original, and the story development somewhat predictable, it is told in a well-paced, sweet and romantic manner that lets the viewer feel the emotions experienced by the characters. The one negative I must point out is Lewis' seeming obsession with numerous extended scenes of waves crashing on the beach (Waves wash out like past experiences, wash back to erase what was on the sand before, metaphor for life going on, new beginnings, yadda yadda yadda ... WE GET IT! The ocean should not have more screen time than the actors!) Other than that, I enjoyed the film and recommend it, especially for those who may be going through a similar dilemma.

DVD has deleted scenes, production stills and trailer. No director commentary, which would have been nice (I'd have loved to hear what he says about the ocean scenes. :)

Right til the end, I thought, in the more melodramatic moments, like the scenes with 5 times more awkward silence than one might normally expect in a film, is this going to be an offbeat, yet ultimately insightful flick? And then after the end I decided, nah, just incredibly trite.

That awkwardness wasn't planned or staged, it was the result of exquisitely bad writing and ham-handed direction.

The scene when Brady is reminiscing about the good times, and we get a series of clichéd poses of the 2. It was like watching a parody on Mad TV.

Ultimately, what totally ruined the flick for me, and why I gave it a 3, was the equivilance it gave to the reality of being gay, versus the reality of being a homophobe, as if both were immutable traits.

Oh really? Since when is homophobia something that can't be changed? And how offensive to compare one's bigotry to one's sexual orientation.

One last thing, the character of the Reverend bordered on satire. He opened his mouth and I wanted to scream, "Please Mary!" Wouldn't you know it was played by the writer/editor/director.

That should tell you all you need to know.

This film is essentially about the inner struggles of Brady, 18, Christian, and yet so alone until Clifford shows up. The film has many awkward moments, the story almost lurches in sync with the shy, clumsy, and yet touching progress of the friendship between Brady and Clifford. It is worth remarking that Rock Haven seems so bereft of glibness, blasé wit, and all the affectation that tends to pass for 'dialogue' in films today. Instead it is a heartfelt attempt to capture all the angst of first love and its complications from the viewpoint of the teens involved. There are no raised voices here, no harsh words or meanness and the prominence of the landscape, beautiful as it appears, almost makes you wonder if the film was part-financed by the local real estate association - Bodega Bay, California. It is generous to all points of view and ends appropriately with a focus on where Brady now is. When he says, 'I have already made the mistake of my life,' you really feel for him. Sean Hoagland as Brady' has that awful earnestness of youth, wide-eyed, the incessant twitching and all, and I wish him a great career. His 'mother' makes a strong and impressive contrast. Owen Alabado as 'Clifford' is a dream first love and I can imaging that anyone from 10yrs+ would be very comfortable with this simple story that is effectively told.

You have got to be kidding me. This movie was more poorly acted and devoid of substance than a Lifetime movie! Ten minutes in and we were praying for Meredith Baxter-Burny or Judith Light to save the day. It's hard to know where to start. There are a total of seven people in the town, it seems. There is positively no chemistry between Brady and Clifford. The scenes are stiff and choppy. The reverend is HORRIBLE, and I'm not sure if the viewer is supposed to assume he is obviously gay. Lines don't make any sense ("You look more and more like your father." "You need to get out more." WHAT?)

Too bad - the concept for this movie is a good one, but this low budget piece of poop simply bounces between pathetic and hysterical.

I saw this beautiful movie at the Outfest film festival in Los Angeles with some friends who dragged me along. I am glad they did.

Let me be up front: I am a sucker for romance, so I was pleasantly surprised and moved by how sexy and romantic the story was. The two young men have a great chemistry on the screen, and they ably carry the movie. The film also has a disarming sense of humor at times, but not at the expense of the characters.

There are very few films that attempt to deal with spirituality, let alone in the gay context. Yes, the film may be unabashedly sentimental, but in this cynical day and age where most gay characters on screen are trying to figure out their wardrobe or their next conquest at the bars, it was refreshing to see a film take a chance. I loved it.

You can read the first review on here for a mostly accurate account of the film. It's not great but not awful either. For anyone who is or has experienced the battle between homosexuality vs. religious beliefs, parts of it will personally hit you.

I take issue with the first reviewer referring to the mother and/or church as homophobic. I don't think that's accurate. When the son tells her he can't change and she says that she can't either, all that she's saying is that she can't change her beliefs. She doesn't hate gay people just because it's wrong or gross or against nature. She has strong beliefs about what the Bible supposedly says about it. And to say that is easily changed is not fair or true. To me homophobia screams of people who are intolerant and often times, violent because of it. It's quite possible to be tolerant of homosexuals without changing your religious beliefs regarding their behavior.

The story is not too usually talked about. This Christian boy learning who he was and falling in love.

It is another quiet indy film that looks with a calm beauty a subject not talked about. Yes, films with conversion therapy and hell and brimstorm are common, but this queue reflection and sweet young man who falls head over heels for a nonchtristian neighbor moves with reverence and calm.

The v two leads are adorable and play their fears and confusion with heart.

The mothers are both freaky in their strangeness one so hippy, one buttoned right wing Christian. Father's are out of the picture, so it v is young men and moms.

Note there is nudity but it is handled with care.

Joshua Skye wrote: [...]I have seen people compare this with the incredible film "Latter Days" but such a comparison is almost offensive. If you want a religious gay film that's done right, see "Latter Days" and don't waste your time with this one [...]

Thanks a ton, Joshua! Your comment on a bad movie referred me to a gem I might have missed otherwise.

Rock Haven is a mere school-prom play, at best. A snippet of a piece that never began to be written. A huge waste of time indeed!

By comparison (offensive as it is!), Latter Days is from the heart, full of gentle wisdom and compassion: "beautiful, funny and good," to quote a highlight phrase from the film itself. Not a perfect achievement, but three scenes in it (outside the hospital; in the snow, with the subsequent sex sequence; and the finale) are more than enough to give it its raison d'etre. A must-see!

So, I gave this movie a 5. Mostly I have to say that the cinematography was actually pretty good. I really liked the quality of the film when it came to how it was shot. However, I would have to agree that the script had much to be desired. Mostly I think they just wanted to capture a really big problem within a very short amount of time. But, the idea for the movie was good. Unfortunately this happens a lot in real life. The problem is that while I knew the sex scene was coming--- it felt like that was all the movie was working up to, and then the writer said, okay now they had the worst sex scene in the world, and now we have to end the movie. Then what I thought would actually be the climax, had I made the movie, the whole mom issue was just pressed into maybe ten minutes. I think that if they wanted to get what they had wanted out of the movie, the fight for love, they should have made that more of a problem. Meaning, what his mom thinks about homosexuality, and how Christian he is--- it could have been done better.

However, i can't help liking the movie just because I really think my generation needs more movies that expose the fact that there are TONS of Christians who are really gay, but are so afraid to tell anyone, or to do anything, and hate themselves for it.

It was just that this movie, while a nice attempt, never really satisfies the pallet. (And this is from someone how has been in the same situation).

God, I can't believe I went through so much to watch this absolute horridity.

This movie is about a Christian boy falling in love with the boy next door and the struggles to come to terms with ones osn sexuality. Being gay myself I'm always interested in a movie that shows these kind of struggles. So this movie seemed like a fit but it just didn't cut it for me. The story is very thin and very slow. That in itself is not bad, but the characters are not very interesting and they don't develop. There was really nothing interesting about them. The slowness of the movie mainly comes from the many scenes of the waves hitting on the coast that seem to serve no purpose except to fill the time. In the parts of the movies where people actually talk it seems forced and unnatural. It's a combination of poor acting and a bad script. All together I gave this movie a 3 out of 10. It's really quite bad but I've seen few films that are worse.

I must be one of the easily impressed as described in an earlier review. I thought this film was excellently directed and written. Coming from a Christian and conservative background, I can relate with the tension of coming to terms with absolute truths about oneself. It is difficult to reconcile blind faith with the reality of actual experience. I envy those who can define and reach that balance. This film is a rare depiction of the inner conflict so many young and not so young individuals have to deal with daily. The strength of the character Brady shows those who feel alone and isolated that their feelings are valid. I wish I could have seen this film as an adolescent. To me, this film has the potential to comfort a confused teenager in a positive and potentially lifesaving way. For me Rock Haven hit home.

I also agree with what another person wrote saying,I wish I was younger viewing this movie because in my teens there wasn't any movies like this and I wish there were because it also would have been useful.It's a nice drama and also has a good message attached to it whether the director intended it or not.It gives gay Christians some kind of hope.Unfortunately I am sure there will still be some who will be brainwashed by fanatics thinking it's a sin to be gay and all that other stuff. The movie was realistic, simple and sort of believable and very scenic.The beach and other shots where the film was made were very breathtaking.It makes you want to visit or vacation there.It was also extremely funny and the humor had me laughing, especially in some of the scenes where the characters felt awkward around each other.One scene in particular had me roaring with laughter.The scene where Brady(Sean Hoagland) and Clifford(Owen Alabado) had their first close encounter in Cliff's bedroom and Brady unintentionally got aroused and then embarrassed and stormed out.This movie was nicely acted by everyone and it was good to see talented newcomers. I think my only complaint about this movie was seeing all the deleted scenes afterwords.I thoroughly enjoyed them and strongly felt most of them would have added to the story and needed to be in the film.I really don't know why they were deleted.It can't be because the movie was too long,hell it could have been longer! A few of the extended/deleted scenes made more sense and explained stuff better. In a way I wish I never saw these deleted scenes because then I wouldn't be thinking the movie was missing something. This is why I gave it an 8 out of 10.

All I can say is that I wish they had made this film when I was a bit younger -- it would have changed my life. They should show this film in every church in America. The film is not preachy, it's a love story with a lot of meaning. Straight people should see this, also. The actor who played Brady in the movie was great, he deserves to be in more movies. And the guy who played the non-Christian boy is not only gorgeous, but talented. The only thing I would say against this movie is that it kinda gets off to a slow start in the first few minutes, too much ocean photography at the beginning, even though I thought it was beautiful to look at. But the film quickly picks up momentum and really gets interesting. And hot!

Truly, a very good movie with great acting by the two leads along with Clifford's mom. I enjoyed the movie immensely and mainly because unlike other movies, the depiction of the gay characters was portrayed in a realistic manner, giving the audience a taste of what being gay is really about and not different than the heterosexual way of loving! I think a lot of people in society consider being gay is all about sex when it really isn't and this film forwards that message. The sex scene was extremely tastefully done for which the credit goes to the director. Overall, I really enjoyed this film, it was touching, romantic and sincere and am hoping others will give it a chance.