Forgive and Forget

I would like to believe that there are more closet gays than gays who are open about their sexuality but I do not have the statistics to prove it. Whether you are open, or not, or about to open, this film will somehow touch you. I like this film so much that I can relate to it. The love story of straight-acting David that has been told so many times but presented in a realistic way is enough to catch my attention. A gay who is in love secretly with his best friend for so many years is nothing but ordinary plot because that is always the case when a straight-acting gay fall for a straight guy. I knew beforehand that the ending of the story would not be a happy one because normally in real life a straight guy would not return the affection of a gay even if that gay is his best friend for so many years. Oh yes! This is the truth! The ending of the love story of David is so credible that makes me watch this film again to remind me that this kind of love does exist, and once you came out of the closet, you are taking a big risk. The acting of David as portrayed by Steve John Shepherd is superb! No doubt, he is so convincing as a straight-acting gay. In fact, I fell for him after watching the film.

Don't expect to feel comfortable or be warmed by a Hollywood ending.

Do expect a well-acted fable about the dangers of falling in love with your best friend and how pursuing that love and destroy your friendship. 'How do you tell someone you love them?' 'Just tell them and hope they believe you.' The added closet homosexual existence of one of the friends, and relationship with his family, makes matters more complex.

You are pretty much left to make your own conclusions from the ending. I will be watching this movie again.

Also there are some novel south of the Thames (London) locations.

I ran out of good gay movies, so I decided to view this British one from 2000. Convincing acting across the board, but not a very plausible plot whereby two men, one straight and one gay, are friends from childhood. When the straight one finds a serious live-in girlfriend, the gay "mate", because he's secretly in love, hides a malevolent jealousy streak. He actively works to undo his straight friend's romantic relationship and pays the price in the end. At that point, nobody would envy the gay guy, as his life falls into a deep abyss. One can only hope he has learned some important lessons that can help him later.

This 2000 made for TV film is a sham for gay people. It promotes gay bashing, degrades coming out and gives homosexuals a dated persecuted life style. I could have sworn when I saw this trite work, it must have been done in 1960. For certainly gay issues deserve better than this dribble. The fault lies in the writing and directing. Mark Burt writes a trivial and lack-less script with absolutely no compassion for any of the major characters. Aisling Walsh, a woman, directs with no understanding of how to bring any hope to her leading players. She certainly has no understanding of gay life. If she herself is gay, than shame on her. If not, she needs to go to a gay bar or march in a gay pride day parade and surround herself with today's gay people.

The actors do what they can to give believability to this nonsense. Steve John Shepherd plays the young man tortured over his homosexuality. Afraid to come out to his best friend and to his parents. Why he chooses to do so in such a public way, beats me. But he does. I'll say no more as to the outcome and let you see for yourself. Believe me, you won't be surprised. John Simm, hardly, in my eyes, worth all the suffering, is the attraction to Shepherd as his best friend. Simm has his own demons to deal with. And again, you really don't care. He earns his oats. As the unsympathetic and sometimes just down right annoying girl-friend to Simm, Laura Fraser is a real possessive bitch (can I say that word?) A control freak, she deserves losing any guy who would put up with her antics and games. I was hoping she'd lose the guy in the end. Again, see what happens yourself. Again, no surprise.

Then there are the parents that contradict themselves all over the place. An overbearing dad, played by Maurice Roeves, knows nothing but anger and screams through most of the film. What's with this guy? Sometimes overacting, he suddenly has all this tear jerking at the end? And you don't believe it anyway. "Let him go", says he. I would have been gone from this dad a long time ago. And the mother, played by Ger Ryan, sits and bakes pies. Probes her son most of the time to see what's wrong and when she discovers the truth, over public TV, completely disowns him. She begs him to be honest and then slaps him in the face. Give me a break.

I liked Shepherd's work in this and wish he could have had a decent venue to work with. For he gave the most convincing performance. Simm was one level, Fraser was just awful as were the parents.

I give this dated movie a 2 star for Shepherd's performance attempt.

A person can do strange things when in love. David is a working class boy. His friendship with 'mate' Theo seems to be indestructible. Until Theo is starts living together with his girlfriend Hannah. Nobody knows David is in love with Theo. And very jealous, as it turns out…

David plays 'hard to get' by trying to break up Theo and Hannah's relationship. He succeeds, but his lies are uncovered at the end. Especially after the weekend in Brighton when Theo can only think of Hannah who has left him, while David wants to make fun. When David, still very deep in the closet, expresses his feelings for Theo in a Jenny Jones-like program on television the shit really hits the fan. David is kicked out of the house by his father and Theo's friendship for David turns into pure hate.

Forgive and Forget is a film about friendship an jealousy. You can really wonder why David doesn't come out of the closet earlier: his life would have been easier. The end of the film is quite sudden and the question pops up why there has to be a fight involving an iron bar. Where did Hannah come from in the last scene? Even though: Forgive and Forget is a nice and very well performed film that makes you think.