Those People

Pacing is a little slow, but there are many tender and emotional moments that more than make up for it.

Charlie and Sebastian are old friends. Sebastian is emotionally damaged. Charlie seems to have a life and is committed to his friendship with Sebastian.

Sebastian has stalled emotionally while Charlie has continued to grow up. Charlie meets a new love interest and this causes a fracture in his friendship with Sebastian. Sebastian is very very needy of Charlie's friendship and Charlie does not want to hurt Sebastian by following through on his new found love relationship by having to totally leave Sebastian.

The fact that each character is gay is not made into a factor with this story. It's just fact. The story is all about friendship, commitment, and the love of two friends - not two lovers. One friend is weak and confused, the other is strong and wants to get on with life but his conscience and friendship with poor Sebastian is a stumbling point with Charlie.

The characters are wealthy and spoiled. Sebastian's needy personality will get on your nerves but the plot works and you begin to care about Charlie as he is a nice person who is dealing with issues that have a direct impact on his life and future.

As many fans of Queer cinema would know, the good ones are few and far between. Be it the reluctance of big studios to produce purely LGBTI content resulting in next-to-no- budget features in the Queer cinema genre or not, often the movies for us gay folk are pretty terrible - poor production standards, bad acting and cliché upon cliché upon cliché. Lately though, there has been some shining lights in this small genre. 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party' is one and so is 'Those People'. Production standards here are very high, beautiful wide screen photography, particularly in low light night scenes; lush and appropriate music choices; and above average acting among a number of other merits. I stumbled across this gem on Apple TV and was immediately taken in by the seductive and moody trailer; and I wasn't disappointed - far from it. Some viewers might not like the lack of backstory here, as we are dropped into the lives of a clutch of arty and (mostly) wealthy young New Yorkers but slowly details are revealed, enough to really feel one among these characters at this pivotal time in their lives. There's plenty of tension and angst, and mercifully a lack of the usual queer cinema clichés. Questions (and loves) are left unanswered. I really don't won't to say too much about the story as it could spoil your immersion into the delicate world created here. Looking forward to seeing what this director and his leads show us next. Search this one out.

Have read other reviews that suggest this film is about unreturned romantic love between two long term gay friends. I disagree. It's about two long term gay friends who have become hopelessly devoted to one another. I am 58 and have a similar type friend for 30 years. There is no sex or romance, but we've been hopelessly devoted to one another for decades. The writer pokes fun at gay men who always think it's pointless to have other gay friends if you can't have casual sex with them. This was made clear in the bedroom scene where Sebastian's trick wants a three way. The attempted suicide scene clearly shows how devoted Charlie is to Sebastian regardless of their circumstances. Their embrace in this scene was the highlight of the entire movie and the whole story in a nutshell.

This film tells the story of a young gay painter, who has a billionaire gay best friend. The best friend falls into disgrace when his father is convicted of a financial crime. Coupled with the arrival of a handsome pianist, their relationships are tested and an unstable love triangle is formed.

"Those People" is actually an above average gay film, as it has great production standards. The picture is clear, the lighting is great and the cinematography is nice. It does not feel low budget at all, which is a refreshing change. The two lead actors are handsome and likable, but the story is overly dramatic to be believable. The pianist is a little too forward and premature in expressing his feelings, and Sebastian on the balcony is an overly dramatic over reaction. If the plot was more normal and less dramatic, I would have loved this film.