Retake

I am now 93 years old, and counting. I have outlived all of the people that I have known in my prime, so at this point in my personal odyssey I feel empowered to comment on men that I have known well over the years, since now they are all safely dead.

Which brings me to "Retake" (2016).

First of all, I agree in all respects with the only two reviewers currently listed as of this date in the "Retake" comments section. Where I expand on the other two reviewers' comments is that I have known personally three men who -- over time -- did what the character Jonathan (Tuc Watkins) did in Retake, and more importantly, I have know personally two of the three men who did what the character Brandon / Adam (Devon Graye) did in Retake.

The three real-life Jonathans that I have known tried to recreate the emotionally charged special events that they had enjoyed on their road trips from New York City toward the West Coast with their young lovers in the early 1960s, 1980s, and early 1990s, respectively. And a Polaroid camera was confirmed to be present in at least two of the three road trips.

All three real-life young lovers died of drug overdoses. All three real-life Jonathans later rented young men who looked similar to their respective dead lovers to play-act their way through a later parallel road trip in their ultimately failed attempts to relive their respective emotional highs, and all three coincidentally traveled from New York via the classic Route 66 highway. I know all of this because I was asked to clean up the various messes that my three Jonathans left in their wakes, which I did in the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s, retraveling the still classic Route 66, or its remains.

But for me, the weird, even eerie parallels with the movie Retake is that my three Jonathans were unsettlingly similar to the portrayed character Johathan, and my two personally known Brandons / Adams were virtually identical to the character so beautifully and skillfully played by Devon Graye (Devon Graye Fleming). The personally unsettling, definitely eerie, and almost identical behavior displayed by Devon Graye was later confirmed with the two now-not-so-young men rented years before, neither of whom had seen Retake before I recently approached them and supplied them with DVDs of Retake to confirm my conclusions. Which both emphatically did. And both were suitably amazed, as I was.

Yes, the movie Retake is not perfect, but it definitely is A MUST SEE. And please permit me to conclude, as one of the earlier reviewers did: "Overall, the picture is an example of well executed independent film that delivers something we lack in today's American cinema ‑ a REAL people's story."

Parenthetically, I wonder if the director of "Retake", Nick Corporon, personally knew or knew of any of the six real-life people in question.

I wasn't sure where this was going, but was pulled in as the story unfolded. As Jonathan's story comes together, you are actually want to know more about the tragic relationship with the real Brendon. Was it a true love or a "project" Jonathan was going to fix. I am glad the story ended as it did,. Anything else would have been pathetic.

FILM: Retake DIRECTOR: Nick Corporon RATING: 8/10

Jonathan is a man in his late forties whose emotional center has been entirely decimated by his previous partner, and this film begins as he hires a male prostitute to accompany him on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. His hope is to recreate a moment he shared with his ex, down to every last precisely staged polaroid. A shaky premise to be sure, but disbelief is quickly suspended in the capable hands of the two lead actors. Played quietly by Tuc Watkins, Jonathan wears his pain in his eyes and in the occasional quiet outburst. Brandon, 25 years his junior, shares a similar depth of spirit, his will toughened by just trying to survive. With these two richly complex characters, Nick Corporon gives us a searingly raw account of two men finding each other amidst the land mines of their own heart break. With gorgeous hand-held camera work that is at turns intimate and grandiose, this film takes us deep inside the damaged hearts of two individuals and leaves us believing again in the healing power of human connection. Not without its problems, but an absolute must see.

Hadn't heard of this movie....just randomly saw it on Youtube. At first, I thought it was going to be a dull/lame hustler movie with no interesting characters. But it quickly became interesting as the plot thickened and the hustler and his handsome, older benefactor are suddenly on a car trip to the Grand Canyon. I enjoyed the twists and turns and was rooting for both characters. I wanted the two characters to stay together as a couple, but apparently that didn't happen at the end. Acting was good. Dialogue was good. It was well cast and it was unpredictable. Actually liked it quite a bit.

"Retake" is a road-drama about a lonely guy in his late 40s who hires a younger male prostitute - to drive with him from LA to Colorado. But "Retake" is not just another "road- buddy-movie". It's a powerful drama about human condition, relationships, pain, loss, and - love. The lead players (T. Watkins and D. Graye) are excellent in their portrayal of two complex characters, who search for answers through sensual and physical exploration. Their little "game" frequently breaks the rules, taking them to another dimension; exploring their past, and their inner-pain. It's a well written non-mainstream narrative, with certain dramatic elements of various European realism "waves" (such as Kieślowski, Wenders, and early Wajda). Nick Corporon's (director) mise-en-scène approach is semi-minimalist: long interior shots, mixed with hand-held photography and natural movement. An old Polaroid camera prop (used by the main character) - ads a touch of nostalgia to carefully staged cinematic ride. Overall, the picture is an example of well executed independent film that delivers something we lack in today's American cinema - a REAL people's story.