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.

Sorry I am so late posting, but I have been very busy. However, I was extremely thankful for the person who posted the article about the Birmingham Moving Sidewalk Festival. Sept. 24th, I was able to go to Birmingham, Alabama (I only live 1 hour away), and had the honor of seeing The Unseen.!!!UNBELIEVABLE! I was so incredibly moved by this film. I probably would have been even if Gale Harold hadn't been in it, because it is a remarkable film. Next to QAF, it is the best work I have seen Gale Harold do so far! Awesome movie. Also had the pleasure of meeting Lisa France, the director, and Phillip Bloch, who was also incredible in the film as Sammy, the sheltered blind brother of Gale Harold's character! Both were very friendly, and Lisa France seemed in awe of the audiences reactions. She said, "Thank you for clapping and LAUGHING. You got it!" Even though this is a very serious themed film, there were some very humorous moments. The audience applauded I know for several minutes during the credits. It was really incredible. I was very touched by this movie. I think it made it more special to me because it was set the South, and I have been born and raised in Alabama. Lisa France and Phillip Bloch stayed for a Q&A after the film. It was very informative on the film. To anyone who has a chance to go to any of the other showings coming up of The Unseen, it is WELLLLLLLLL worth the effort to see it! You won't be disappointed!

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.

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 was one of the few lucky ones who was able to attend the NYC screening in February 2006. I was first made aware of this film by seeing a "preview" of it that was included in a DVD box set I had purchased. I was immediately intrigued, but very curious if I would ever actually be able to see it. This movie was enjoyable and exciting mostly the whole way through. Well written, and extremely well acted. Some people can recognize 3 of the stars from TV: Gale Harold ("Queer As Folk"), Steve Harris (various appearances, including "The Practice" & "Law & Order"), and Phillip Bloch (who is most recognized for various appearances on the E! Channel). Each character is totally different from each other, and plays just as a dynamic role. Gale Harold's character is totally disturbed and enraged with fear, not anger, as that is what Harold (Yes, that's Gale Harold's character's first name!) wants to believe about himself. He was fantastic in this role. You felt the fear of Harold when he was on screen. You could see the fear of the other characters when Harold was present. Steve Harris' character of Roy also came off with a very strong presence. You felt such sympathy for him, but also a sense of inner strength. Harris' facial expressions coincided perfectly to what the viewer was to understand was going on with him. Much of the film was centered around the life, ideas and management of Phillip Bloch's character Sammy. You wanted to feel sorry for him, and you did even, but at the same time, Sammy was a joyous character and could evoke smiles and chuckles of laugher from the audience from time to time. His childlike wit was appealing, and at the same time, the fact that he had childlike wit was part of why you felt for him. Being Bloch's first full length feature role, he did it exceptionally well. The story of the movie, being based around sadly stereotypical old-fashioned race issues in the South, is something that gets portrayed in films very frequently. However, the catch is to make is come across interesting, gripping, and most importantly-different. This film does achieve that. Does it well, actually. There's a different synopsis than most might expect. This easily keeps the viewer's interest. The reason I voted 8 stars and not 9 or 10 is only based on the one thing that stood out to me in the film as too "over the top", and that was the Southern accents used/attempted by a few of the non-leading characters in the film. We know you're Southern, we know you're "gritty" and slightly dirty. The example that lays most prominent in my mind is Michelle Clunie's portrayal of Kathleen. It was easily viewable that in reality, Clunie has not an ounce of southern accent in her. Her tone, combined with her mannerisms, and even her hair and wardrobe made her character more annoying than she really should have been. All in all though, an excellent film. Definitely glad I was able to see it! I'll keep my fingers crossed for the DVD!