The Unseen

I really want to rate this film higher, but it just seemed a little slow at times. That is to take nothing away from a great story about friendship and love and secrets. You have to wait until the end for everything to wrap and make sense, but it was well worth the wait.

Two boys, Roy (Steve Harris) and Harold (Gale Harold) were best friends, "like two ticks on a hound dog," as children. Something happened to break them up and Roy leave town. When he returns for his father's funeral, you see the tension and believe it to be racial. The woman who loves Roy (Catherine Dent) thinks maybe he "bats for the other team." There is a lot of humor when Sammy (Phillip Bloch) is in the picture. he is Harold's blind brother. Harold seems to relish picking on him, but he really seems to do the best he can in caring for him. Sammy may be blind, but he sees a lot of things better than many of us. he is unconcerned about what others think and dresses for comfort, and speaks his mind freely.

The secrets are things that we do not like to talk about, but some of us have dealt with in profession endeavors. It is enough to keep the two men at odds. It is a tragedy that things ended the way they did, but then some really good things also happened as a result. Out of the bad, good; that seems to be the way life is sometimes.

It seems that too many people have given The Unseen mediocre reviews, but I see it very differently. I recently saw The Unseen at the Chicago Film Festival, and I was very touched by the film. The relationships between the characters can be very subtle, but incredibly moving. Gale Harold and Steve Harris do a particularly good job, and the rest of the cast is brilliant. Although the beginning may have a bit of a slow start for some, it's all worth it in the emotional, beautiful ending. It's not often that a film can make me bawl, and The Unseen did just that. France has done a wonderful job, and I'd recommend this story to anyone who loves great independent work.

I saw both showings recently at the Denver International Film Festival. I only became aware of this film by being a fan of Queer As Folk and following the actors on that show, in this case Gale Harold and Michelle Clunie. There was a preview for this film on the Queer As Folk Season 4 DVD Extras.

Although the movie definitely has that low-budget look and feel to it, the story itself is a good blend of drama, angst, and comedy with a satisfying ending. I was particularly glad we were privy to the big mystery of the film by the end or else I would have felt cheated. The lead actors, Steve Harris ("Roy"), Gale Harold ("Harold"), and Phillip Bloch ("Sammy") are strong and engaging.

It was a great experience to be able to speak with the filmmakers (in attendance were Lisa France, Writer/Director and Phillip Bloch, "Sammy") after watching the film to hear their experience making this captivating film that is clearly near and dear to their hearts. I hope the film is picked up for distribution and shown to a wider audience. The Unseen definitely deserves to be seen! Good luck to all involved.

I am a photographer and recently covered the Starz Denver International Film Festival. I was lucky enough to see the film "The Unseen" and had the chance to photograph one of the actors (Phillip Bloch) and the Director (Lisa France). Before I'd seen the movie I asked Mr. Bloch about the film and he told me it was like a cross between Slingblade and Mystic River (two of my personal favorites). After seeing the movie I would have to agree completely with Mr. Bloch. The film is gripping, emotional and expertly acted by all involved. Standout performances by Phillip Bloch as Sammy, Steve Harris (The Prartice) as Roy and Gale Harold (Queer as Folk) as Harold are amazing. The Film takes you on a journey through the lives of three friends (Harold, Roy and Sammy) who as young boys are forced apart, but are brought back together years later due to the death of Roy's father. When he returns to his hometown to attend his father's funeral, Roy comes face to face with the secrets that drove him away and tore apart the boys friendship. Forced back together the three friends must come to terms with the secret they all share. The film has an amazing ending that will stay with you long after you leave the theater. Lisa France has written and directed a moving masterpiece of the highest quality. I highly recommend this film to everyone. It will make you smile, it will make you cry, but most of all it will make you think!

The Unseen, an undeniably impressive film, takes you into the bizarre and twisted Southern style life vicariously thru multiple intriguing characters. Dysfunctional families have never seemed so harmonious. The Writers have seemingly pulled out all the stops of "political correctness" to exhibit what true pain and suffering looks like when prejudice and hate are the bane of one's existence. Phillip Bloch's performance as "Sammy" is purely outstanding; his character will entice the range of emotions within you~~ one moment you're feeling the pains of embarrassment for him and the next your standing proud next to him with his mismatched attire for his "childlike" disposition brings the movies complexities back to simplicity; Simplicity which takes all the prejudice and hate that one has to offer and just asks "WHY~~ Why can't you just let me be who I am?" Gale Harold as "Harold", is simply sensational in portraying this cocktail of mixed emotions which stem from his post traumatic childhood psychological trauma coupled with his innate "goodness from within" that he has always had buried so deep from within. This film is sure to move you through a realm of emotions and realizations while at the same time discerning the truth which lies within "The Unseen".