Clapham Junction

This film is about the events that happen to several gay men around Clapham Common in 36 hours.

Due to the enormous number of characters involved, the beginning of the film is a little slow. Once the scene is set, a lot of action kicks in. It touches upon a lot of aspects of gay culture, some of the unpleasant aspects are portrayed in a raw and almost disturbing manner. As others have commented, the scene where the 14 year old boy and the loner encounter at home is dramatic, tense and well acted. It is easily the most memorable scene of the whole film.

This film is raw, brutal and depressing. It can certainly help to raise debates over anonymous sex, and raise awareness over the tragedy of gay bashing.

A truly brilliant piece of work. The writing is creative, astute and exceptionally well crafted. The direction creates exactly the right mood for the story and brings out the best in the writing and the acting. The actors play each character so perfectly right from the beginning that you truly believe them - exactly what should happen! The story is not for the faint hearted and though explicit, it is never gratuitous. The story is written to challenge you and it does so superbly. Whether you like the content or not, you can't say it isn't a good piece of work. It makes you think and it makes you feel - and you can't ask for more than that.

This movie gets another mixed review from me.

I didn't mind the negative portrayals so much (unsympathetic people exist, after all, among straights and gays alike, as does hatred and hypocrisy, and the performances were mostly really good), but I didn't like that that's all we get in this film. I've read that the writer didn't intend to portray the full range of gay life, but I guess that was what I expected from an anniversary-type movie. All the depression, the violence, the negativity left me feeling rather bleak and unsatisfied, thinking "But that's not all there is!"

And, on a rather superficial note, as a big fan of 'Maurice' I did wish for more interaction between Wilby and Graves. :)

The major reviews of "Clapham Junction" on IMDb have collectively been on target. The characters are lightly linked and do little to show the positive aspects of gay life. The performances and technical aspects were workmanlike. Luke Treadaway (Theo) and Joseph Mawle (Tim) were the most memorable.

The high IMDb viewer rating (currently 7.50) might be lower if it were not for student Theo's unambiguously nude scenes.

What seems to me not to be on target is the write-up on the USA DVD package: "Inspired by True Events / In this riveting film about sexual tolerance in modern society, the paths of several men intersect during a dramatic thirty-six hours in which their lives are changed forever. After another man falls victim to a violent gay-bashing incident, the homosexual community of Clapham Junction comes together to bring the assailants to justice."

My USA DVD timed out at 99 minutes and had SDH English subtitles and three previews as its extra features. You might compare the timing shown on the IMDb listing. The result is acceptable; I hoped the film would be more focused, not longer.

A veritable feast of hot and sweaty, young, British talent. The film is packed with it. And I think the fact that they are all sweaty is actually very clever. You can't tell what's making them heat up, is it the sun or is it the sexual tension?

While I really enjoyed this film, it's probably more because I got to see Paul Nicholls' penis than because the story was good. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but not as good as Paul's little friend. However, I do feel that it doesn't necessarily send out a positive message of life as a gay man or the world surrounding Clapham Common. I've never been there, so I don't know and I know it's based on true events, but it would have been nice for something happy to occur as well as all the downs to provide a little bit of balance. Maybe I've just been very fortunate in that I have never been victim to homophobia on such a scale and it has made me complacent and naive, but I'm sure that good relationships must happen too. At least I've got to hope that it's the case.

It's definitely worth a watch and not just for Paul's willy, but I would suggest that you try not to let it scare you if you are a young or vulnerable gay man, who is easily persuaded.

I expected more nudity, as copies of this film on DVD are selling at a minimum of £19.99 on eBay and it generally has to be imported from America without a rating, and quite frankly, I wanted to see Detective Joe from Vera in the buff, I bet he's got a great bottom.

I don't think you can say it's as clever or as well put together as films like "Call Me By Your Name" or "God's Own Country", but it is thoughtful and filmed with some artistic perspective. I like the way their lives all intertwine, that was done well.

I do like a happy ending personally.