Back Soon

After reading the reviews for this movie, I was really hesitant to watch. Once again I proved to myself, sometimes you just have to see/do some things for yourself.

First off, is the writing, directing and acting as bad as some have said? No it's not - nor is it Oscar-worthy either. You must remember that this is an indie film with a limited budget so the director doesn't have 30-40 takes each scene to find the hidden gem. Some scenes are better than others, no doubt. But the sum of this movie is definitely better than a few of its parts.

There were several references to the movie's "supernatural tendencies" and "unbelievability". I found the story really interesting and fresh. If you're looking for the typical gay indie film that focuses on random hookups and erotic sex scenes, yeah you're going to be disappointed to actually find a STORY here that you need to follow. I wonder if Gil were a woman, would the other reviews have been so pointed?

All in all, good effort and interesting story. I'd recommend it.

This is obviously a low-budget film -- quite possibly a micro-budget film, by studio standards. As such, I went in expecting poor production values. The writing might or might not be good, and the acting could vary from friends of the director who could barely read their lines to good non-A-list actors. Also, judging from the majority of low-budget GAY films I've seen in recent years, I didn't have my hopes up.

The beginning of the film was a bit weak. The acting was better than it could have been, but some of the dialog was trite. The production values weren't bad.

Then I was surprised to find myself getting caught up in the two main characters and their situation. The first time they end up in bed together had me hooked. It was very sweet, and their reaction to it the next morning was even better. The minor characters did silly things that the filmmaker tried to pass off as plot complications, and I could have done without most of it, but I really liked these two characters and was really engaged by them on screen.

I've read the other reviews that seemed to think the best part of the film was two straight guys falling in love, while the supernatural element ruined the story. I completely disagree. Two straight guys falling in love is a porn plot. I've seen it a hundred times. The reason for the love that developed between them, and the questions it raised about the nature of that love were what make the movie interesting.

I also strongly disagree with all of the comments about the lack of nudity being an issue. I'm not a teenager. If I want pornography, I'm perfectly capable of finding it. I don't object to nudity in films, and my own micro-budget films have a good bit. But I'm very tired of the expectation that a gay romance must be seventy-percent sex scenes.

This is a very sweet film. The ending is a bit unsatisfying, but I like the fact that it's open, at least.

The opening mood of this picture -- the depression of a widower numb with grief -- pretty much sums up the entire film.

The main character is both figuratively and literally sleepwalking through his life, and the director and actors do the same. How can a movie with supernatural aspects be so unengaging?

Every scene plays out slowly, as if the somber subject matter requires it. Characters interact, but the actors fail to connect with each other, even in scenes where emotions should run high.

A livelier or more varied approach by the director and/or actors would have helped. As it stands, "Back Soon" stays stuck in slow motion.

Caught this on Youtube and since I am desperate for gay romance dramas, I clung to a hope that this wouldn't disappoint. Slow beginning and a few bad supporting actors, but the two main characters(actors) were enough to hold my attention. Even though the theme is serious, there were times I found myself cracking up - like when Logan, a straight widowed guy, sleep walks into the arms of his newly found male soulmate. Not the best movie in terms of script, direction, acting and dialogue, but the ending was OK and there was potential here for the two leads to develop a heartfelt LTR.

Windham Beacham - interesting new actor for me with some potential I hope.

Matthew Montgomery - seen a handful of his movies and about the same skill level here (which isn't a bad thing necessarily) . Buzzed cut not a good look for him.

Wish the ending had gone beyond the hospital scene with at least a glimpse of where their relationship may have been headed.