Akron - O Passado Nunca Morre

I saw this movie. Akron, at NewFest here in NYC and liked it. Both guys were attractive and it was very romantic, sometimes erotic, and interesting because their relationship was accepted by both families, even the Latino father of the character played by Matthew Frias. Joseph Melendez, the actor who played his father, was at the screening and he mentioned that he was eager to play the part of a Latino father who didn't, stereotypically, throw his gay son out of the house. The interesting plot really revolved around an event that was not related to the gay theme at all.

However the movie has a 3.7 rating on IMDb which is ridiculous and, to my mind, is another proof that IMDb is being trolled by homophobes. Many years ago the website created a complex rating system that was designed to minimize attempts by the industry to puff up their product, by having all their employees give a film 10 for example, or having a popular star instruct fans to do the same. The problem is that at that time the present culture of mean, negative, trashing commentary was only just rearing its ugly head and IMDb has apparently done nothing to try to minimize this newer phenomenon.

Of the 112 people who rated this movie, 23 gave it a '10' and then the ratings gradually ramp down from there until you get to 41 people who gave it a '1' rating. Are we really supposed to believe that 41 people saw this gay themed movie in its very limited distribution and hated it so much that they ran home and logged into IMDb to rate it as low as possible? In addition, none of these 41 people hated it enough to bother to write a single negative review.

It seems to me that if just one anti-gay group told its members to go home, register for IMDb, and trash the film it could be very effective in warping the IMDb ratings for a small film like this..... a church with a large Latino membership in Akron who objected to being portrayed as gay accepting comes to mind..... just sayin'.

So the point of all these words is to suggest that it would be wise to think twice before avoiding a gay themed film just because it seems to have a abysmally low rating on IMDb.

If you saw every gay movie made since 1950, you'd never see one as good as Akron. It's not only the best gay movie made so far, it's one of the best movies period. You have to look at the very best ever--movies like Gone with the Wind and The Godfather--to find any that are better than Akron.

Benny and Christopher meet as college freshmen. They get very close very fast. They're both extremely comfortable being gay, loved and fully supported by their friends and families, and they freely demonstrate their affection everywhere they go. It's marvelous to see.

There is no homophobia anywhere in this movie, thank God. No bullies, no bashing, no parental disapproval, no coming-out angst. No hiding. No HIV. None of the other "curses" that most gay dramas wallow in. Critics may say Akron is unrealistic, but it's no less real than the negative crap we've already seen plenty of in gay movies.

Akron shows a beautifully healthy and positive side of the gay experience that has been completely neglected in movies until now. There ARE families like this--lots of them--we just haven't seen them on screen before. There also is no melodrama in Akron, which is even more remarkable. Nobody overacts or over-reacts. Nobody ever does anything that doesn't feel completely genuine and true and natural and normal.

There IS drama, but it's not centered on being gay. It turns out that the two families' paths had crossed in a terrible tragedy many years earlier, and when they discover that connection everything blows apart. The last half of the movie shows how each person in the two families (not just the lovers) deals with the newly-awakened pain.

Small, unpretentious movies like this, about human beings relating to each other, don't win awards or sell tickets any more, but they're the only movies worth seeing. If you love blockbusters, you'll hate Akron; but if you love movies, you'll love this one. It's as nearly perfect in every way as a movie can be.

The more you watch this movie, the better it gets. It packs an emotional wallop. Even though the depiction of the two young gay men being totally free and expressing their love outwardly is very unrealistic because Akron is a very homophobic city.

The acting by all is outstanding. Matthew Frias projects the dominant role in the relationship. He makes the first move and takes charge. He's displays the Latino temperament when he's riled, especially in a scene where he blows up at his boyfriend. Edmund Donovan seems to be the sensitive one who grounds Benny when things are tense. His projection of love for Benny is something everyone dreams about. He seems to good to be true and Donovan's acting is touching because you feel his pain as the pawn who is caught in the middle. The scene where he rips into his mother is riveting, yet heartbreaking.

This film does not deserve the rating that it has gotten from IMDb. It deserves better and I wouldn't believe the negative ratings. Despite some of the implausibility of the plot, the performances and the direction overcome that detail.

It's that sort of movies that you feel happy and refreshed after watching them. The actors played their roles pretty good especially Edmund Donovan his face expressions were perfect as well as his using of body language and the tone of his voice...I see a bright future for him in acting (hopefully). I just really liked the movie, it's a film displaying the life of two gay couple living a NORMAL life not like other movies where something tragic must happen eventually.

Great movie primarily because of the actors, especially the two who play the central characters.

The plot is a bit contrived though entirely plausible. I don't think it's necessary to look for any deep meaning in the behavior of those involved. Obviously a tragedy occurred and it was bound to have a profound effect on all involved and it was something that would not have been fully explored between parents and the very young boys at the time.

Likewise it would have been a painful jolt to all involved when it suddenly resurfaced again as the two young men fell for each other at school. Forgiveness and rational thinking are easy to expect in theory, but far more difficult to deal with in reality. One thought that never seemed to have arisen was whether blame should have been shared between both mothers ... Christopher's mother who was driving the car that struck Benny's brother and Benny's mother who apparently allowed the child to run out in front of the car.

We never know how long the relationship between Benny and Christopher lasted. The shared tragedy might have been overcome by love and forgiveness, but it would always be a burden that would weigh on them both.

It was a well done bit of drama and romance, but it was not anything from which profound meaning could be extracted.