The Green

.......BUT, kidding aside, this well done work just CANNOT be put into a near 10-STAR rating category, such as enjoyed by "Brokeback Mountain". (Read on for my take as to Why).

Co-Lead performances are of a Good to near Very Good level (but not at that peak achieved by Ledger and Gyllenhaal). Supporting character efforts, particularly female, are very capable....BUT, think back to those we were given, and saw, 6 years ago.

Storyline / Plot (which has been well covered for us by Old Churns-em-Out): I have to award this factor a "Not so much". What we are given is the male teacher suspected / accused of inappropriate contact with a student (okay, yes...this time a young man--but even that's been done before). Then, there's the cautionary advice being given--which we all know will be ignored. And added to the mix are a hidden truth...a misunderstanding...a breakup of lovers---all fairly stock story directions.

AND...none could guess the REAL Bad Guy?? C'mon!!

What I do like, and very much so, is the way in which the ending has been handled. Not all "Sweetness & Flowers"....not "All is Forgiven". INSTEAD.....there is Hope. We are shown Hope.

PS--And speaking of those 4 small letters, which can mean so much in anyone's world.....you movie lovers out there should TAKE HOPE. Because there is yet another little "Teacher / Student" film story now working its way through world film festivals, toward a video release for we Stay-at-Home viewers. And it is one for which I have extremely High Hopes.....hopes stemming from a Newbie Director's last, best effort. That being a great little film called, "Plan B" (what's not to like about that one). This new and now out-on-the-circuit production is titled "ABSENT", and is directed by a young Marco Berger.

****

I found the film very absorbing, but if you're looking for Lillian Hellman's "The Children's Hour," this isn't it.

The fault doesn't lie with the actors or production qualities or the director: I think it's mostly that the script is a bit predictable, and not terribly daring: there are clear-cut good guys and bad guys motivated, on the one hand, by goodness and benevolence, and, on the other, by unspeakable evil and malice.

That is not suggest it's a waste of time: just that the screenplay struck me as too tame and too safe, instead of straying into more dangerous territory, raising tougher questions, and not resolving everything in the manner of (as I've seen others on IMDb saying, justifiably) of a T.V. "Movie of the Week." There are good, emotional scenes and quarrels, which will draw you in, however, performed with honesty and skill by a very fine cast.

If they do gay cinema on Lifetime, this would be the movie that makes it. Michael Gavin (Jason Butler Harner) is a teacher in a small town. Daniel (Cheyenne Jackson) is his gay partner would runs an eatery. Jason is a troubled kid with a dysfunctional family. His mother works all the time and dates the school's janitor who's an abusive douche. The janitor has it in for Michael and convinces the mother that there's an inappropriate relationship with Michael and her son. Soon it blows up and nobody can be counted on to back Michael.

This is melodrama of the highest order. There is a lot of overacting, but more importantly, the writer leaves no stones unthrown. I do not want to dismiss this as unreasonable. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it doesn't make a compelling story. You have to leave a sliver of hope. And of course it climaxes in a big action scene. Is it set up well? Not the least.

I can't understand why this movie didn't get wider distribution and more attention. It's really one of the overall best movies--gay or straight--i've seen in a long time. The writing is expert and never falls to cliché or hackneyed dialog. The actors are all excellent in their roles, presenting genuine emotions genuine, allowing us to feel with them and for them. The big reveal may be a little too unannounced, mainly because the character of Jason isn't given the time he needs, but I consider even that a minor flaw in an otherwise intelligent, moving, thought provoking and far-from-heavy-handed movie. Up there with Maurice as my favorite gay movie; up there with the Big Chill as one of may favorite movies overall.

"... Whoa. Just... whoa," is about all my brain could come up with for the first few minutes after watching the credits roll on this film. While obviously gay material, I was delighted that this didn't remotely come across as one of those 'gay films' we all end up rolling our eyes at; there is none of the campiness, smut factor, or frying-pan-over-the-head- message that seems to plague nearly every film that tackles gay issues. The writing managed to be both tense and sharply witty at the same time, and it was executed phenomenally by both the primary and supporting cast. As a gay man trained to be a high school educator, this issue is certainly something I have had to think about and I believe the film treated it extremely realistically for our current sociopolitical climate. I absolutely recommend this film to anyone who enjoys edgy tension-dramas and social commentary.