Amor à Deriva

Just rented the DVD with friends and found it to be a thoughtful, insightful, delightful, and touching film.

Sometimes trite or cliche, perhaps, but Ryan (R. T. Lee) could very well be the current "gay everyman" - happy, but not happy; settled, but unsettled; content, but incontent. (OK, the whole "death is romantic" sub-theme was just a little creepy, but its' purpose was to help you realize that it really *was* hard for Joel to understand Ryan, and that possibly only Leo could; I still would have gone with something a little less "visceral," to use the movie's favorite - and overused - adjective.) And the "what if" scenario of three different possibilities was a great way to flesh out what we all wish we could do - see the reaction to our actions and figure out if it's what we really want or not.

Some wonderful acting in this film - Lee is certainly comfortable in his role (although sometimes I felt the dialogue was a little rushed); Greyson Dayne as his boyfriend, Joel, also had some great scenes (particularly when Leo tries to bed him); Jonathan Roessler seemed a natural as the geeky Leo, and had a very natural flow of dialogue; and big kudos to Kudos to T. Jerram Young as Dane for the *great* pick-up scene in the bar - we all laughed out loud!

I think the reason this film will stay with me is because I did see a lot of myself in Ryan - searching to be understood, leaving a relationship because of it, not really knowing what will make him happy (until, perhaps - at least in one ending - it's too late). I plan on buying the DVD and adding it to my movie library.

What starts out as a fairly straightforward tale of the end of a relationship gets, for no apparent reason, complicated about an hour in by repeated scenes from earlier in the film with twists and variations. First minor changes in wording, then wholesale changes in content, scene construction and even characters. I was reminded of the home video release of "Clue," which separated the three theatrical endings with a title card saying something like "That's one way it could have gone, but what about this?" Except the alternate endings and scenes for "Clue" were entertaining and these changes weren't. The twists and turns were attempts to enliven an otherwise pedestrian faux-"quirky" script (oooh, obsessing about serial killers, how avant-garde!) but it didn't work. Proving that gay indie filmmakers can screw up relationship stories just as badly as straight ones. If you like surreal twists, leave this one on the shelf and rent "The Hanging Garden" instead.

Do gay-themed movies get any more self-consciously awful than this garbage?

What the filmmakers didn't realize is that all those trite avant garde movie cliches are bearable only if you have characters that one actually cares about. Otherwise, the constant juxtaposition of old scenes with new ones becomes as obnoxious as the characters and equally hard to love.

As I watched with my friends we tried to amuse ourselves by coming up with more fitting film titles (between snores, of course). I think the one that fits best is "Groundhog Drift."

I gave it a 3 but am wondering if that wasn't too high?

Maybe it's because I don't appreciate the joy that drama queens bring to life. Maybe it's because I don't appreciate the angst of living in the life today. Who in the real, work-a-day world speaks like this? If I met such an emotional train-wreck as the lead character, I would sprint at high speed in the other direction. It seemed every time Ryan opened his mouth out spilled a Greek tragedy punctuated by his belabored, self absorbed, oh-woe-is-me breathing. The acting was good, the story line was mediocre. I found myself looking at my watch and checking the box the video came in to see how much longer the pain was to continue. I would have been the guy in the back row of the theater groaning every time one of these poor widdle boys dug himself into a hole and then waxed poetic.

I have this visceral feeling of...oh sorry, it's just indigestion.

This little scenario scripted by Quentin Lee plays like a merry-go-round. As lovers love, break up, reunite, have misgivings, rekindle, and entertain more regrets, the viewer begins to wonder just what point Lee is trying to make.

A key may be the tentative nature of the title. It's also set in a town where lots of folk are in a state of flux, not really settling down after making a commitment, and forever looking for the "perfect" partner.

The search, however, is as fickle as the atmosphere of the terrain itself, where the consciousness can be a jumble of mixed emotions. Unanchored attitudes prevail, reacting to the mass of humanity crowded into the region, from mid-state down to the southern border.

It's not an ideal place for anyone who isn't strongly grounded in both their self worth and professional projects. The tragedy of this story is that there are no solid anchors, only driftwood floating and bobbing along uneven tides. One day wanting this, tomorrow that.

Unfortunately, Mr. Lee's script rather meanders as well, and allows itself to even take a "Memento"-type turn midway through--with unprepared for flashbacks that have a strange feel.

There's nothing wrong with the acting, though, and the youthful cast renders subtle and heartfelt performances.