Blue Citrus Hearts

Despite the very low budget, this film really has a lot to say. Paul Foster is great here. His portrayal is heartbreaking and so real. And after a while, I saw how attractive he is because of his inner beauty and killer smile... I think this film had so much heart and deep characters. It really was done with loving care. The film ended a bit too quickly but I am going to give this 5 stars anyhow. Please, before you watch this, do not judge the film by the low budget. Try and overlook the low budget and enjoy what the director was able to accomplish here. I really love this little film. Some parts of it broke my heart seeing how much love was here..

Whew, it took my breath away.

First on the quality of production. It lacked something but for the most part did not interfere with what was presented. My main problem was the sound. Being somewhat hard of hearing, the poor sound quality did interfere some of the time. Seeing it on DVD, I had to back up a number of times which is not the best idea as it interrupts the flow which in this film is very important.

Being straight, there is a lot of what the two main characters were feeling that I could not easily identify with. However, there were things that were amazingly clear. I felt that the film showed raw emotions better than most any other film I've ever seen. I could hear their agony. It was not done with a lot of words, dialog was minimal. It was done with facial expressions, body language and I don't know what.

I do know about not being a part of the scene and not being accepted. Being thought odd. I think this is why the emotions struck me so strongly. I could feel the emotions flowing out of the screen. Some one remarked on the lack of professional status of the actors. I think they did a superb job better than many well rated screen actors.

This is clearly not a film for everyone. The whole format is not going to be liked by many who prefer the traditional presentation. Some will be turned off by the subject matter. Some will be threatened because they do not allow such emotional levels touch them because they are afraid of it. That last is a bit judgmental. WIthout being judgmental I can safely say that if you are not prepared to watch a movie with poor quality video and muddled sound (I've heard worse) that communicates more with emotion than dialog (and I don't mean emotions like shouting and cursing, it is much more subtle and much stronger than that), if that is not for you neither is this movie.

I rented this movie yesterday at Blockbuster's thinking that it would be something special to see. Boy, was I ever disappointed! The only thing good about this movie was the basic story line--which unfortunately was destroyed by a terribly script, extremely poor acting, and an unbearable sound tract. It appeared that someone working on the film knew the script and acting were so bad that they were trying to drown it out with background noise and music. The acting was very amateurish--and the very long bit at the end telling that 'this is for boys who love boys--this is for girls who love girls, etc., etc' stank. If this was the winning film at the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Film festival, I'd certainly hate to see the losers.

One can't watch this film without the gut feeling that it's a story the writer had to tell. Absent any melodramatic flourishes and self-consciously arty touches or sub-plots, it tells a familiar story with such honesty and immediacy that it's as if you are living among Sam, Julien, their families, and friends. Through the poetry of their inarticulateness and the lack of any artifice both Sam and Julian are iconic: Sam, the popular high school kid who only appears to fit in with his crowd and Julian, the outsider who comes along to light up his life. The beauty of this film is its artistic economy. Unlike the long and embellished Hollywood novel, this is a poem in which every spare word and action communicates much more than pages of explanatory chat.

Blue Citrus Hearts is a compelling independent film. The filmmakers should be applauded for the film they have brought us all. The film follows real people and very real situations not actors with scripted lines. The performances were out standing as they were not contrived and very true to life today. This is one of the most incredible love stories I have ever seen. The film was obviously shot on a no budget digital film making process that really pays off. I love and adore this film, it has soul and love within its making. The music is incredible as well and fits very nicely with this piece. I was surprised to rent it at my video store not knowing what it was but loving every minute of it as it was shot in real time with real people climaxing to a very awakening of and ending. I hope there will be more of these type of films made in the future. This is not a studio film, this is a hard-core independent film venture and it should be applauded. Congrats to everyone who made this film happen, you shocked and surprised me and made me feel something real, wow. Peace and love back at you all. Keep it up.James Vallo USA