Red Dirt

If you enjoy being spoon-fed at the theater or in front of your television, then this movie isn't for you. If you are offended by a subtle gay storyline however non-offensive it may be, then perhaps a night out at Hooters would be better suited for you. But if you think you might enjoy a movie with interesting Southern characters, set amidst some fine beauty from the southern part of the U.S., then this flick might be for you. The direction IS just fine and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the characters. Karen Black is a real treat here.

This film is as slow as turning a nearly-empty bottle of molasses on its side, and watching it run down for two hours; a real waste of time.

Despite its beautiful photography and numerous outdoor scenes, there is a constant claustrophobic feel, probably due to the small cast; it has a wierd "inbred" feeling. The characters don't seem like they are part of their surroundings. Whenever Karen Black is on the screen, its like she is pulling energy out of everything around her.

Its not really a "gay" film - the characters certainly don't consider themselves gay; there is no male-male sex (but some straight sex scenes). The sudden claims of male love come out of nowhere, and just aren't very believable. There is potential dynamite in the sub-text of a man and a woman competing for the affections of the lead male character, but it never catches fire here. The ending appears to be trying for some kind of "nobility of denial" as the characters avoid acting on their feelings, but it never really resolves.

No doubt this film has great personal resonance for the film-maker, and presumably for other rural Southern gay guys stuck on farms (who are unlikely to know it exists!). Ultimately its a not particularly interesting failure. I think that the film-maker just pulled too many punches, and either couldn't or wouldn't make the film this could have been.

This film is getting a lot of (-) comments, and I can see their point of view, BUT, it's better than the're saying. True it's slow moving, but that captures the essence of the story. These are frightened and careful people, trapped in a backwater, and, though unstated, the brutality of Conservative Christian bigotry has great influence on their behavior. The love between the two guys didn't come from nowhere: from the first time they saw each other there was an electric current between them. The shower scene was almost explicit: Griffith COULDN'T KEEP HIS EYES OFF LEE!!!!. and the gay shop-keeper knew instantly there was something. And while the ending was overtly disappointing, I believe that, down the road (pun intended) they're going to get together. Acting was mostly good, but Walton Goggins was HOTTTTT. Watch him on "The Shield" and see what a good actor he is. All in all, I enjoyed the film, but WHAT WAS that short on the DVD?

watching this movie a few times with friends etc, we agreed upon that although it takes place in modern times it seems like the characters were uptight in showing their true feelings because of belief systems instilled upon the characters upbringings. This movie has beautiful scenery with some sordid entanglements but it brings to light that as Love of the heart goes it can find its way through the most stubborn of circumstances! Dan Montgomery is drop dead gorgeous and so is Walton Goggins, One just wishes the outcome would have been a little more romantic than it was! I bet a lot of people who are trapped in society's little headgames who cannot truly display their affections might wish for a Walton to come into their life and start living. The film does not by any means make a straight person feel uncomfortable at all by watching it, in fact it makes them think! I loved this movie and I wish it well!

There are several holes in the story of this movie... if you're one of those people who gets hung up on that, move along. If you're able to immerse yourself into something and just enjoy it, then I would recommend this movie... quite enjoyable.

I'm not a fan of it being billed as a "gay" movie; when Lee Todd enters the world of Griffith and Emily, and their slightly crazed Aunt Selma, Griffith for the first time has someone that he can consider a friend (besides his beautifully controlling cousin Emily, who desires more than mere companionship and will try anything she can to keep him in their native small Mississippi town).

I don't think the words "gay", "queer", or "homosexual" ever enter this movie; while the characters develop a love that is self-admittedly stronger than friendship, that's really what this movie is about. Griffith's frustrating love and sense of responsibility for his crazed aunt, Emily's obsessive blinding love for Griffith, and Lee's protective love of Griffith...

Add in an interesting subplot of a dark family secret (that had so much more potential that it actually delivered) and it's an interesting concept.

Having grown up myself in a very small rural town where few people ever leave, I related to the movie and thought that even if the story was a bit weak, it was still beautifully delivered.