Retake

This was a far better film than the rating reflects. Sure, it's kind of a downer and doesn't have the happy ending you'd hope for, but it's real, it's honest, and the acting and production are top notch. Just because a film doesn't give a fairy tale ending is no reason to give it a low score. When there are so few films about the LGBT community that are high quality and of some substance or believability, it's truly sad to not give credit where credit is due.

No, it's not a love story, or story of redemption. It's a film about heartbreak, and a broken man (two broken men) trying to find happiness the only way they know how or can think of. Sure, I would have LOVED it to have ended differently, but It's FAR better than most other fare out there. It can be tough to watch at times, but is ultimately worth it.

I am now 93 years old, and counting. I have outlived all of the people that I have known in my prime, so at this point in my personal odyssey I feel empowered to comment on men that I have known well over the years, since now they are all safely dead.

Which brings me to "Retake" (2016).

First of all, I agree in all respects with the only two reviewers currently listed as of this date in the "Retake" comments section. Where I expand on the other two reviewers' comments is that I have known personally three men who -- over time -- did what the character Jonathan (Tuc Watkins) did in Retake, and more importantly, I have know personally two of the three men who did what the character Brandon / Adam (Devon Graye) did in Retake.

The three real-life Jonathans that I have known tried to recreate the emotionally charged special events that they had enjoyed on their road trips from New York City toward the West Coast with their young lovers in the early 1960s, 1980s, and early 1990s, respectively. And a Polaroid camera was confirmed to be present in at least two of the three road trips.

All three real-life young lovers died of drug overdoses. All three real-life Jonathans later rented young men who looked similar to their respective dead lovers to play-act their way through a later parallel road trip in their ultimately failed attempts to relive their respective emotional highs, and all three coincidentally traveled from New York via the classic Route 66 highway. I know all of this because I was asked to clean up the various messes that my three Jonathans left in their wakes, which I did in the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s, retraveling the still classic Route 66, or its remains.

But for me, the weird, even eerie parallels with the movie Retake is that my three Jonathans were unsettlingly similar to the portrayed character Johathan, and my two personally known Brandons / Adams were virtually identical to the character so beautifully and skillfully played by Devon Graye (Devon Graye Fleming). The personally unsettling, definitely eerie, and almost identical behavior displayed by Devon Graye was later confirmed with the two now-not-so-young men rented years before, neither of whom had seen Retake before I recently approached them and supplied them with DVDs of Retake to confirm my conclusions. Which both emphatically did. And both were suitably amazed, as I was.

Yes, the movie Retake is not perfect, but it definitely is A MUST SEE. And please permit me to conclude, as one of the earlier reviewers did: "Overall, the picture is an example of well executed independent film that delivers something we lack in today's American cinema ‑ a REAL people's story."

Parenthetically, I wonder if the director of "Retake", Nick Corporon, personally knew or knew of any of the six real-life people in question.

A simple story, full of nuances from its beginning, Hitchcock influence, realistic portrait of hustlers, a nice relation, discovered in its complexity, correct work, good acting, delicate subject, portrait and eulogy of loneliness , bitter , perfect end. A trip of two strangers. The precise purpose of the old one, the temptation to escape from his life circle of the other. And complex relation between them. Not great but, obvious, more than decent, beautiful for melancholia of story and for few inspired scenes. And nice for the courage of end , giving simple, precise message about a pain without cure.

Okay, so now I've just watched this movie ... 6 stars on IMDb, I thought it was very much better! A realistic portrayal of hustlers, and what they are like. John's and what they can be like. I met guys like this for sure in real life! It all made sense to me!

Hustlers are screwed up, John's are really strange, (I know from experience,) it played out as a real possibility, right up to the very end results.

"Brandon," Adam ... (Devon Graye) had a realistic imperfect body, although an AMAZING face you just must fall in love with! Then there was the other protagonist, Jonathan, (Devon Graye) the messed up John. Amazing.

The script was strong and realistic right to the very end. I thought it was great! Been there, done that, (well not quite,) but it played out REAL!

Strong 8 stars from me!

This an interestingly quirky take on a road trip movie. "Jonathan" (Tuc Watkins) retains the services of a much younger hooker and proceeds to attempt to turn him into the partner he has lost. They set off en route to the Grand Canyon and their relationship - despite themselves - starts to flourish. Devon Graye plays the "duplicate" boyfriend ("Adam") really very well and the toing and froing of their relationship encompasses lust, pain, longing, despair and anger as it reaches it's conclusion. There is enough ambiguity throughout to keep this interesting and the writing is taut. It is well worth a watch.