The Second Coming

I think this film is misunderstood because it is being categorized and reaching the wrong audiences. At 55 minutes long, it is part art film, part cautionary tale, perhaps part propaganda. The cover art is misleading. Though it is an image from the film, the film is not a gay love story. It's not even targeted at the typical audience for gay films. The film's lead character, Carlos is gay. There are some erotic images in the film but one of those involves a M/M rape near the end. This film represents the disenfranchised. Even though it was produced 20 years ago, it's message is as important today as it was when it was made. The film's focus surrounds anti-gay and anti-semite activities.

At one point Carlos is cornered and asked what it is he hopes to gain from his 'subversive' activities and his response is, "I just want to live my life." This film isn't against religion but it does explore what happens when any one group with specific beliefs has too much power.

This film is for those that have been attacked, alienated, or witnessed the brutality that occurs when power and fear are allowed to supersede equality and freedom.

If you watch it, you need to watch it to the end to get it. It probably won't 'hook' you in the first 10-15 minutes.

Pretty rough start for the first ten minutes... but if you stay in there, it does find a "storyline". Some shock value images and audio to get your attention, i guess. We watch (homosexual) Carlos wake up and start his day, which is full of abuse and misery. His cousin is reading from his diary, and to confuse things even more, much of the film is in negative and static, apparently to give it a more futuristic effect. I fear that many that watch this film may miss the real point, or bail out too soon... but what do I know. SO many things going on, it does get pretty confusing. A "narrator" (newscaster ?) seems to be describing how the religious "AFG" group is now controlling the country and the military, SO similar to the rise of the Nazism in the 1930s, 1940s. She even says the word neo-nazi. And Carlos' father wants Carlos to avenge his death. Some cussing, some nudity. Not for the kiddies! Gotta say... so much of the "horror" and bigotry she is reading from the diary is even more prevalent today, twenty years later. Human rights and acceptance have advanced in some ways, but there is still a LONG way to go. It LOOKS like they used a mix of new footage and maybe some WWII footage, but not sure. Written by K. Soehnlein. Directed by Jack Walsh, who has done a bunch of LGBT projects. Pretty good. contains a fair amount of shock value stuff, which probably explains the low rating.

It looks like some one gave a bunch of high school students a camera and told them to go for it. The result is 'The Second Coming', written by Jack Walsh and K.M Soehnlein and directed by Jack Walsh. This is about a religious fanatical group that takes power in the United States and begins to rewrite the Constitution based on the bible. Fags and Lesbians are out. So are Jews, apparently, and anyone else not 'Christian'. Usually I can find something good to say about a movie, no matter how dismal an effort it is, but this one leaves me speechless. The acting (what there is of it ) is so bad as to be embarrassing. Mr. Walsh uses the movie to convey his own paranoid political ideology and does it poorly. Documentary film footage is slipped in, jarring scenes of poverty are stitched together and he uses a sledge hammer to get his message across. I realized early on that the movie was basically unwatchable but I persevered just to see how bad it could get.

It got worse. Much worse. You are warned.

However, in the DVD bonus feature there is a short film by Mr. Walsh entitled "A Letter to Rock". It is touching and thought provoking. This too was filmed in 1994 before the AIDS cocktail began to prolong the lives of so many people. It is an interesting and very affecting film about how hopeless it all was back then. How ignored we were by the powers that be when we weren't being vilified by them. I know. I was there. I remember. Thanks, Mr. Walsh for that.