Le 24ème Jour

Low budget drama at its best. Not a huge amount of money was spent in the making of this film, but that just added to the context of this movie. It was nice to see 2 actors, relying on their acting skills alone, making the movie work from all angles.

I liked this film for it's simplicity and storyline. A lot of films these days tends to rely on special effects, confusing plots and endings that are not satisfying. But I am happy to say that all of these things were absent from this film. Was definitely a satisfying way to spend 90 minutes.

Simple,interesting viewing and didn't go to extremes to make it entertaining and enjoyable.

My rating is 7 out of 10 and well worth watching.

This is another film I purchased without knowing a thing about it, and wound up being quite glad I did. The premise of this film had me on the edge of my seat from the very first gut-wrenching conflict, in a film that was filled to the brim with gut-wrenching conflicts. The acting of both principals in this essentially two-character piece was first rate, and helped to elevate it high above most standard gay-themed fare. But what really made this picture superior to 90% of the gay titles I've purchased in the past year was the confrontation of real issues that gay men should be discussing, but frequently shy away from. Without giving away the plot, let me say that almost every minute of the taught, carefully crafted script is imbued with thoughtful discussion on issues that are all to frequently ignored by sexually active gay men. I didn't see the ending coming at all, and the ultimate, positive and healthy message – that everyone is responsible for their own conduct, and the consequences thereof – is one that too many people don't seem to get, in my observation. In a world where the madness of barebacking and substance abuse is decimating the gay urban male population, the lesson of this film is one that every gay man needs to consider, if not embrace wholeheartedly. Good god! A gay drama that dares to address and discuss sexual responsibility in an adult manner! What will they think of next?

"The 24th Day" is one of those movies that you really have to be in the mood for. It may not seem like it at first, but as soon as things change for James Marsden's character Dan, things change for the viewer also. "The 24th Day" is a very thought-provoking film, which due to it's content is not everyone's sort of film, but being such an unusual and rare sort of film, is a great film to watch and perhaps for some people, after watching, may come out with a greater understanding of the issues in the film, one of the obvious being HIV.

Few and far between are there films where homosexual characters are portrayed as normal people, and this is one of them, so when the HIV aspect of the film was introduced it seemed rather odd - do all gay related films have to be about HIV? The answer is of course no, and the film does, through Marsden's character Dan, strongly point out that HIV is in no way a "gay disease", which is a good point, as there seems to be not enough awareness of this, however, the people that need to be aware of that are probably not going to be the ones watching this film anyway. However, it would have been interesting if the film did not have the HIV aspect and for it to be a psychological thriller or something with one guy obsessed with the other years after they first met.

But I digress. James Marsden was wonderful in a role that seems very removed from his usual films, kudos to him. Scott Speedman also did a fantastic job of portraying his character Tom. Essentially a 2-character film (as it is adapted from a theatrical performance), it can get quite monotonous at points, but the actors both stay in good form. Overall, a powerful and effective film.

The 24th Day is a tense, low-budget gay thriller which focuses on Tom who holds Dan (an ex-trick) captive. Tom had tested positive to HIV 24 days ago and is convinced that Dan was the one who gave it to him. He extracts a blood sample from Dan and threatens to do bad things if it comes back HIV positive.

The 24th Day has a well conceived story-line (apparently it was based on a play written by the Director or something) - and although it takes a little while to get going - I think it sets the scene well and draws you to the characters.

It's basically a two-man film and the two leads are quite well acted - Dan (played by X-Men's James Marsden) is cocky, self-assured (for the most part) and defiant while Scott Speedman's Tom is uneasy and simmering (in the angry sense).

The film quality (as in picture) is fairly poor - but it doesn't distract from the film.

24th Day is a cool little thriller which is worth checking out if you like low-budget movies.

Scott Speedman and James Marsden's one-night stand turns into an intense power play between captor and captive.

A independent film adaptation from a play by Tony Piccirillo and directed by same, is a tour de force with very good acting by Scott Speedman and James Marsden. Although straight forward and attentively simple, one is easily engrossed by the story. The dialog carries well, and the ending very human.

It's not often I enjoy simplified concept pieces but this was vital and endurable for the criticssm.

A flawless, and beautifully moving film. A important work for our time.