Wrecked

Of all the gay-themed films screened during my Thanksgiving Day marathon, this was the biggest disappointment.

I don't look for reasons to dislike a film; I truly do my best to watch a movie on its own terms. But sometimes a movie comes along that fails on so many levels. Poorly shot, badly edited and incompetently directed, there is almost nothing to recommend about "Wrecked" (save for the decent performance by the lead).

I would have forgiven the film all these flaws had there been a good story, but there really wasn't one to speak of. Hell, I could even forgive the lack of story had the film been poetic and lyrical... but it wasn't.

Calling this film borderline pornography is, quite frankly, an insult to the pornographic film industry.

Come on people you can't call this a film! Nothing but a bunch of sex scenes tied together in the most childish, boring plot. I don't see how anyone with access to free porn would want to waste their time with this. The sex scenes themselves were nothing special and there wasn't even potential for a story let alone an actual plot. Someone making a movie and this guy goes to audition for it. Then we see that the main character's life is shitty especially because of his junkie boyfriend. And well, then we get the most trite plot related to drug addiction and the ending, yeah it was supposed to be freaking awesome right? But while the idea was good, how do you expect me to feel anything for an ending after such a crap film?

If this was a high school senior project it could be considered marginally good. The acting itself could be considered marginally OK depending upon which character is acting. As a story, guess what, it is again OK but poorly executed and poorly connected from scene to scene with some parts, like the acting tryouts a disaster. The premise could have worked but because of the writing, it didn't. Some viewers will find this a waste and some will find it tolerable for some scenes including the nudity. The director's commentary was confusing and contradictory at times. The directors seemed like they couldn't remember details of some scenes including the name of some actors.

To say that this film is amateurish is to say that a Jacques Rozier film is amateurish. Rozier was a great Nouvelle Vague director, mostly unknown outside of France and then.... he died this year and some papers have not even bothered to mourn him. This film reminded me of one of Rozier's films, a short called ' Blue Jeans ' and its youthful zest for life, and its desire of two young men to waste hours in finding young women. This film ' Wrecked ' shows a young man who wrecks himself on drugs, searching for the right guy and the final scene is certainly worthy of either Warhol or the Nouvelle Vague. A wasted body, lipstick on his mouth on a sea of red blanket covering. Out of it completely. No more spoilers, but just to say the camera searches this young man with all the enthusiasm of a Rozier film, darting here and there like an exploring fly to finally settle on this sea of a drugged, sexed out body on a bed.

I think the review by GayFilmViewer says it all, except that I disagree on one point, I would add, abysmal acting. Seen with the rest of the cast, I would grudgingly agree that the lead gives a decent performance. Comparing his acting to that in similar films, it is tepid. Story line, nil; acting, one (for the lead); photography and editing - at times, bizarre colouring and sound, nil; this film is fake, unengaging and unpleasant. This is gay cinema at a total low. (Review refers to DVD version; just seen.) A pity this was dragged out to over an hour; 15 minutes is long enough. In Afrikaans, there is a lovely expression: ".. vol strond"; Shakespeare's line from Macbeth more than suffices: "Full of (unpleasant, bizarre, inept scenes), signifying NOTHING.