Truth

This has got to be one of the worst movies I've decided to endure until the end.

I now know what happens when theater kids and friends get to make their own movie. I don't know what's worse: the acting or the script. No. I'm lying. The acting is slightly more atrocious.

If you need to be entertained by watching a trainwreck, this movie (and Andrew Christian ad) is for you.

Quite honestly I'm not sure what to think of it all. A "suspenseful, psychological thriller," it was not.

One of the two central characters, Caleb, has enough personal baggage to sink a ship although at least outwardly he seems to be coping with it all reasonably well at the start of the story. He meets Jeremy whose background has been less of a train wreck than Caleb's but he's not dealing especially well with the pressures that society and family put on gay men of his age. Through experience Jeremy has learned to use deception and denial in dealing with other people and with his perception of self. That this does not lead to a "they lived happily ever after ending" is not particularly surprising.

In the "storyline" description it states that Truth "exposes the hidden demons buried deep inside each and every one of us." Whoa. We may all have our secrets and have had experiences that affect the way we deal with others, but I doubt most of us are as burdened as Caleb nor do most of us resort to such manifest deception as does Jeremy.

The damage caused by a "Mommy dearest" and the need to remain "closeted" for survival are fairly common themes in gay drama, but this movie tries too desperately to pile it on and thrill us with the resultant mayhem.

It all just seemed a bit too much. From the start the relationship between Caleb and Jeremy seemed more weird than genuine and as it began to unravel the situations weren't particularly suspenseful or psychologically deep.

The actors, especially Sean Paul Lockhart, were good. The overall quality of the production was also quite good. The general result, however, seemed superficial, heavy-handed, inevitable & propelled by contrived events.

Having read others' reviews of this "suspenseful, psychological thriller", some important aspects of the psychology, essential to understanding Caleb's "breaking point", are the role of the absent, but powerful presence of a father, not just the rejecting mother; and secondly the very final somewhat disturbing scene, where, after the psychologist once again says, "now let's start at the beginning", we have a somewhat bruised Caleb watching Jeremy at play with his small son, suitably wearing the coloured bib, "Dad's Angel". This scene opens up another level of depth to the film.

It's refreshing to see a film that isn't predictable. I had no idea what would happen in the second half and was quite surprised. I typically don't like flashback type films, but it worked with this one. I thought these guys' relationship could work, despite emotional problems until more was revealed. This isn't something I'd see twice, but it was good the first time around. I admit I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but it is possible the writer wanted to leave something for the viewers to decide for themselves. I enjoyed the suspense and not knowing what was going to happen.

This was an amazing film to watch. So many unexpected things happen turning this movie into a major dramatic ending. No, I won't reveal it.

Direction was wonderfully simple about two men from their first meeting to the ultimate ending. Their relationship, as it develops, changes them both.

Rob Moretti did a triple job with this by playing the lead, writing and directing the film. I assume he also did the editing. A truly difficult job doing any of these jobs. He accomplished them all by bringing us a thoroughly suspenseful and professional movie that really keeps your interest all the way through.

Playing the other lead is Sean Paul Lockhart, ala Brent Corrigan from erotic films, in his first starring "straight" film. Congratulations Sean you have made the big jump doing a super job with a very difficult role. There's no mistaking his good looks. There is a sex scene, done with taste, that shows just how good he was.

But it is the story we watch unfold. Watch these two actors bring the ring of "truth" from their performances to life.