As You Are

"As You Are" is one of those rare films that comes along every two or three years that really resonates with the viewer through its pure unabashed story telling and painful true to life's circumstances.

This inspired coming of age film, set in the early to mid 90's is about a single Mom and her son who welcome to their home a man (dating the mother) and his son and the sons become best friends. They are teenagers and cut from the same cloth, so they get attached very quickly. There are several facets to the story line and plot I will not divulge so as to not spoil the film for potential viewers.

The film progresses through a taut and harrowing undercurrent of brewing violence and uncertainty from the Adult Man figure and thus, his son rebels and it affects his new friend/roommate/brother of sorts, as Well as the Mother figure. The film illustrates the difficulties teen's face when subjected to ridicule for being outsiders and struggling with their own sexuality. Not to mention Having to deal with an unstable home environment.

The story is told from the perspective of a detective interviewing various members of the cast through the eye of a camera's lens, which Is not made clear till the end of the film. the film. This is tackled by the detectives interviews with the various characters portrayed throughout.

Acting and Direction was fabulous. Plot and story line tight and told with gritty realism. It addresses some difficult subject matter and by no means is it a "feel good movie", but one well worth watching.

I applaud the Director And actors alike for telling a story not easily told or accepted as mainstream popular. There should be more films like "As you are", made.

A definite recommendation for anyone tired of the commercial garbage typically pumped daily by large production Co.'s and big name Media giants.

I loved this movie. The acting was great, as was the cinematography. Best coming of age story I've seen in a long, long time. I can't believe this was the director's first film! More details below. It was great seeing Mary Stuart Masterson on the big screen again. She does a wonderful job as a vulnerable, yet still sexy, single mom. Scott Cohen is very believable as the tough, bullying military-type dad. And the actors who play the 3 teenage friend are all fantastic! I remember Amanda Stenberg from "Hunger Games", and she is wonderful as the smart, yet isolated, adopted daughter of a white family. Owen Campbell deserves an Oscar for his fantastic performance as Mary Stuart Masterson's lonely but loving son. And watch out for British actor Charlie Heaton, whose strong acting and brooding good looks are reminiscent of a young James Dean or Marlon Brando. Last but not least, I can't wait to see future films directed by the young prodigy Miles Joris-Peyrafitte. Oh, and he was the screenwriter too, along with his friend and co-author Madison Harrison. In summary, a great film, well-directed, well-produced and well-acted.

Miles Joris-Peyrafitte does a spectacular job in conveying the complex emotions of his teenage characters. The film does its best to relate to viewers while also making them largely uncomfortable; in the best way possible for the story. While it does follow in the traditional route most LGBT coming-of-age movies in their ways of sadness and struggle with self-acceptance, it does so rather tastefully.

However, it does seem that I am one of the few folks who enjoy the way the movie has split up its time-line. Similar to Dunkirk, the director makes a bold choice in shifting between the present interviews and past memories. This makes what viewers tend to believe as the climax or "end of the story" a prevalent force throughout. While I do agree that the foreshadowing could have been done with just a tad more mystery, I do not believe that doing so was what the cast intended with the story. Therefore, I feel there should be a respect for the decision to leave the ending so raw and out in the open.

As it begins, As You Are opens wounds and has you hoping for even more heart-warming moments but leaves you glad it is done exactly the way it is. It truly opens discussions on many topics and while not necessarily happy, the film touches its audience with its profound messages. This film is definitely worth the watch.

This is the best film i have ever seen...the filming! the editing!! the story!!! heartbreaking and tender and wonderful. i wish i could have learned a little more about jack and sarah's backstories though. otherwise i H I G H L Y recommend this to everyone i know on planet earth. loved it. loved it loved it loved it.

As You Are is a powerful, emotional and wonderfully directed movie. In the film, all characters personalities were deeply flawed, and clearly this young trio were trying their best to figure out the world around them, as well as themselves and their sexualities. Watching this movie i found the natural chemistry between all 3 of the young actors; Charlie Heaton, Owen Campbell and Amandla Stenberg was so obvious and made the characters they depicted so realistic and connected. The director, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte knew what this movie should be and executed it amazingly. the dark and depressive, yet quietly beautiful mood was obvious throughout the whole film. The soundtrack, which Joris-Peyrafitte also had a hand in matched this tone astonishingly well. Listening to it by itself is positively haunting and paired with the cinematography and performances of these talented actors made for a treat. The plot is slow, but the quiet moments between the drama is welcomed and balanced well. I do have a soft spot for gay "love" story films, especially for those set in the 90's. I use the term love loosely because it isn't what this movie is about. On paper, maybe. But the themes of mental health, politics, growing up, nostalgia are sprinkled artfully throughout and give the movie much more depth. As well as this, the choice of setting the story in a police interview, looking back was smart, as it envelopes the whole film in mystery and suspicion until the very last moment, but this last moment still leaves viewers questioning and confused. (as well as emotional and crying for me ;-;) I love love loved As You Are and can watch it 3 more times and it will still have the same imprint on me as the first time i watched it, and the more times i do, I just grow to love the setting, characters and cinematography more and more.