Save Me

This story touches on a very sensitive subject that some film makers in the past have tried to put a story to.(and usually failed) A shout out to the cast and director for having the courage to portray such a story without villianizing or stereotyping either side of the spectrum. It really shows the need to open communication lines for two drastically different people to find some common ground and be able to love each other as human beings. Judith Light was phenomenal in her role as Gayle, a deeply religious woman who, with her husband, runs a church and privately funded house to help men fix their "sexual broken-ness", driven by her own inner termoil and personal experience. Layered with great performances by Chad Hall and Robert Gant contributes to a very eye-opening and touching film.

There is a whole list of things I liked about this movie. Though it has some flaws, they are far outshone by the good.

The setting of the movie and the approach to the characters is brilliant. Most movies that show non-urban, non-coastal US cities fall into a trap of playing the setting and the characters for laughs, or at least exaggerating the local color for effect (witness Coen Brothers movies, for example). This movie didn't fall into the self-conscious exaggeration, which inevitably keeps the audience at a distance. Instead, it shows most things in a very human level--you're not looking down on, or sideways at, or with an outsider's view of the people or situation. This is the water you're swimming in. You're there to witness what is going on without the self-conscious, ironic and "precious" aspects that many directors are afraid to leave behind. This view of the rural West feels very genuine (and I know because I've lived there before).

The acting by Judith Light and Stephen Lang is phenomenal and that by Chad Allen and Robert Gant is very good. The large cast of supporting actors is largely very good, too. It becomes even more amazing that they pulled this off when the movie makers undoubtedly were working on a shoe-string budget. The performances are better than many big budget movies. The script allows for complex characters and the acting is nuanced.

The production values are similarly good for the small budget: beautiful filming, a good musical score and songs that worked just right for the tone.

There is a sense of space and stillness that allows things to breathe and it's a little bit "Zen" once the movie gets going. I didn't find the first few scenes of the movie fit in particularly well with the rest of the tone, but it was a minor annoyance. Some people may be expecting more of an emotional roller-coaster. The script and the direction were taken in a different direction than "hero-against-conspiring-world." You're meant to identify with different aspects of many characters and not only see things from a single perspective. It's harder to maintain a singular emotional intensity based on this focus. I found it quite effective for what it set out to accomplish (not what some reviewers wished it had accomplished instead).

A minor quibble is that some of the quiet lines were hard to hear and understand (though it could've been bad audio compression artifacts since I watched it on Netflix instant watch so it was not full DVD quality).

You really should see this movie if you care about any of the themes it addresses or you love to watch good acting.

This movie touches all of us on some level. We all know people who struggle with identity and faith. I find the conflict between faith and sexuality to be a very delicate and personal issue. This movie deals with the internal and external struggles gay Christians face as they confront who they are and what they believe. The storyline/plot is interesting and the character development is thorough and convincing. It fairly deals with many different perspectives and allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions.

Oftentimes Christians are criticized for being bigoted and judgmental, not without some merit, but these labels do not fairly describe all Christians. This movie does not make use of these stereotypes; instead, it shows that even Christians are people struggling with their own identity.

Judith Light's (Gayle) performance is outstanding, and although you may not agree with her beliefs, you can understand and respect her perspective. From her past mistakes, revealed in the movie, she has learned that love and acceptance are better than the unhealthy, sometimes destructive, consequences that come from denial and rejection. Gayle's husband, Ted, played by Stephen Lang, portrays a subtle contrast to her more rigid beliefs, and his 'coach vs. referee' approach serves as a fine example.

Despite how some people view it, Ted and Gayle's ministry, Genesis House, does not force or seek to brainwash the residents. The residents all are adults who have chosen to be there, for whatever reason. One memorable scene in this movie is when Gayle tells Mark, "I don't change people. I try to show them how to get closer to Jesus Christ, and let them make their own way."

The real heroes in this story, however, are the "boys," with excellent performances given by Robert Gant (Scott), Chad Allen (Mark), and Robert Baker (Lester). Their individual journeys are a mixture of pain, love, rejection, and acceptance.

This movie is not anti/pro gay, nor is it anti/pro Christian. It is merely pro love and pro people. I know this description sounds corny and trite, but for those who have seen this movie, perhaps you can agree.

Wow - this movie really blew me away. It managed to tackle an extremely difficult subject with Honor, Love, and Respect for both sides of the issue. I agree with another reviewer that Judith Light was overlooked for an Oscar Nomination that year. What an incredible performance.Cad Allen, too I think gave one of his best performances to date. Can you believe that this is the writer's only work, so far? I hope he is working on other things, as a writer. If anyone who worked on this film reads this....a big CONGRATULATIONS & THANKS! This is what film making should be about. A film that can help to bridge gaps with honesty, understanding, and self awareness.

"when i have doubts i know it's just god testing my faith"

Gayle said that in the middle of the movie. I found this totally unbelievable.

I may not be Christian but i absolutely don't understand that kind of thinking if you have doubts about your life, you think about why you're having them doubts don't come out of nowhere,and you rethink your purposes, why you follow the guideline you're following, what made you think like this in the first place and how you're feeling about it now. Doing something just because you've always done so is just stupid it prevents you from becoming someone better and really learn who you are. In this case Gayle just help them with her philosophy when then are in need of something like that and I feel they simply never question it again, it helped them so it has to be the only perfect way for everyone.

am i the only one here?