National Anthem

Luke Gilford's 'National Anthem' is a film that displays some considerable skill on the part of its director and cast. There are scenes that capture how it feels when you fall in love; and also scenes that reflect the tender pain of departure when you wish you didn't have to go. The film seems to be often described as "beautifully shot". Some of this is achieved by simply putting physically attractive people in the landscape of the American west; but this is done in such a way that does successfully evoke the desired vibe. The problem is that the movie only seems to consist of the big emotional scenes on which a greater film might hang; they're not earned, and there's no dramatic structure outside the slightly indulgent display of happiness and hurt. I also grew tired of the fact that almost every line of dialogue is whispered, as if the film is trying too hard to ooze sensitivity from every pore. Finally, it's never clear how our heroes, a commune of sexually non-conforming individuals, are earning a living; this is part of the reason for the absence of drama in the movie, as the group's contact with non-members seems limited to the interaction of the lead character and his mother. A little more conflict would not have gone amiss.

There were things i liked and things i was like holy canolli what type of ranch is this? A movie for the instagram generation. But with the self absorbed free hippy love-in cult semantics, and a few other issues, I found this film hard to swallow. It was a snore-fest even with all the fabulosity and Rupaul's Dragnation it felt like a party where you look around and think I need to find the exit pronto. It's glacier pace lost me and the hyped up Group love-in i knew this was just messy bunch i would not want to roll with let alone give my time. A ranch of able bodied people living ther, and they need Mexican day workers while trans women walk around in flowing dresses doing Sweet FA. WTF? The stiff acting and laughing about a traumatic issue, making light of being kicked out of a family. This isn't a must see, not even a must stream. The soundtrack was nice. However, It's a big fat I DON'T THINK SO HONEY for me.

Dylan is a 21-year-old loner, saving money to buy an RV. He lives with his younger brother Cassidy, and his harried (financially and otherwise) mother, his father having abandoned the family. Dylan works as a casual laborer, hanging around an area with other men waiting to be picked up for a day's worth of work, often in construction.

Along comes Pepe, owner of a distant ranch, who hires several of them for 2 weeks' work. There, Dylan becomes enamored with Sky, a beautiful woman with a horse. Sky invites his to a rodeo, which turns out to be a gay rodeo, complete with evening entertainment of line dancing and drag shows. There, certain people find their version of "The Amrican Dream". Here is where Sky thinks Dylan can find "his people". Indeed, Dylan ends up staying at the ranch for a while, and even brings Cassidy along when their mother had other plans.

While this is a good introduction to a gay subculture, I am dubious about how flexible Dylan is to sexuality and sexual expression. After a specific early scene of Dylan imaging Sky on her horse, it seems too fast a jump for him to participate in a pansexual orgy. Also, Dylan seems too easy to convince to perform in a drag show, and does too well in lip-synch-acting for a rookie. Meanwhile, Sky is puzzling - she seems to be played as a male-to-female trans person, but just looks too gorgeous.

Side note: This is supposed to be present day, despite the very old RV Dylan is shopping for. I saw a flash of the newer progress pride flag.

Man, I wish I could get back my 1 hour and 40 minutes. I really wanted to like this movie, but it was a disappointing mess with bad writing choices and piss poor dialogues. While the film's intentions may have been noble, National Anthem ultimately fails to deliver a compelling or memorable story. The characters are so flat, they might as well be cardboard cutouts.

Totally, a missed opportunity I guess the director didn't have a clue to flesh out the story from the POV of Dylan (Charlie Plummer), who does his best in parts and completely out of place and probably not going to end well. Of course he is a good actor, but even his talent can't overcome the sheer awfulness of the script. The only redeeming quality is the chemistry between him and his brother. Those scenes are standout, with good staging, backed with decent score in an otherwise boring film.

In conclusion, "National Anthem" ahh wish i can say it's decent but I'll value your time well, it's just bad. I recommend skipping this one.

This is one of the best queer films I've seen. It encapsulates so much depth on what it means to be a queer person in rural America. The generous nods to gender roles and how their conformity is limiting to one's true self bled through beautifully. Dylan was a gentle hardworking young person just trying to figure it out. Maybe a lot of viewers can see your younger selves in Dylan, just a person trying to carve out our small place in this insane world whilst fighting to stay authentic to our true selves. Outside the queer lens, the scenery of the NM desert was breathtaking and the Americana imagery and motifs were consistent throughout the film bringing forth an interdisciplinary film combining elements of western and queerness together.