Product Details

• Actors: Joshua Peter Laurenzi, Paul Foster, Emily Fry, Lee Ann Roberts, Mark Pergolizzi
• Directors: Morgan Jon Fox
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Ariztical Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 11, 2005
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006J28C8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,932 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Blue Citrus Hearts" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

The story of a boy who loves a boy. Julien keeper of dark thoughts & sam vibrant & full of life are two boys full of adolescent angst. Studio: Ariztical Entertainment Release Date: 01/11/2005 Run time: 91 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little film! Paul Foster's performance is wonderful!, April 26, 2005

By 

John Seger (Palm Springs, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Citrus Hearts (DVD)

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..

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Applaud the attempt...and hope for better next time, February 26, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Citrus Hearts (DVD)

BLUE CITRUS HEARTS as conceived, written, produced, directed, etc by Morgan Jon Fox is one of those films that has a core of honesty and passion for the message that makes you want to love it. Apparently filmed on a digital camera with no accoutrements available to the other Indie film makers, Fox makes the most of a no-budget situation and perseveres in making a statement about gay crises in high school kids who must fight for their identity in an inhospitable world - this time Memphis, TN serving as the Anyplace, USA.

Sam (Joshua Peter Laurenzi) is a quiet teenager who lives with grotesquely ignorant parents (Lee Ann Roberts and Mark Pergolizzi - both pushing the borders of credibility) who wants to take guitar lessons and have a car but is refused both by grounded parents who feel he is a loser. Julien (Paul Foster) is a quiet guy who daydreams, and spends his idle hours in coffee shops, but differs from Sam in that his single mother (Emily Fry) is a loving, caring, present person. They both attend a high school that seems in the rank and file of most, both have girlfriends (I think the better of the two may be Alex Booth, but the credits are minimal), and both feel something is missing in their lives. Sam and Julien struggle through this film, trying to communicate with themselves, with friends and finally with each other - discovering what they fear most, that they are gay.

Yes, this is a tale universal and yes, Fox manages some good effects superimposing his poetry over the picture screen, poetry that is better than the script thoughts. The problem here is not the story telling, fragmented as that is, but in the actual product of the film. The soundtrack is so loud that it drowns the dialogue. And that is not only the very raw 'music track': the ambient sound of trains and cars and just plain noise is enough to make many folks just stop watching out of frustration at not hearing the storyline.

Fox has gathered some credible non-professional folks to enact this journey - some even with evident talent that may take them beyond this particular project. For a first film by a wannabe filmmaker this is a brave and in some ways successful attempt. Hopefully next time around Fox can clean up the distractions and focus more on production techniques that would move his talent into the public arena. Grady Harp, February 2005

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Beautiful No Budget Indie, October 14, 2006

By 

G P Padillo "paolo" (Portland, ME United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Citrus Hearts (DVD)

Caveat: Anyone needing a blockbuster with a budget and great effects need look elsewhere. What this is a slowly paced, heartfelt, honest little movie that has, if one allows it to, the power to move you profoundly. There is a sometimes arthouse pretentiousness that is not inappropriate here, which in fact reveals the deceptively simple story as the myriad of complex emotional issues that as the film's base.

The story of two teenage boys in Memphis - from extraordinarily opposite homes, finding their way through friendship and sexuality while dealing with the complexities of highschool, teenage romance, angst, fitting in, the desire for popularity and the odd desire of wanting to be misunderstood and alone.

Joshua Peter Laurenzi (Sam) and Paul Foster (Julian) are outstanding as the "heros" of the story; unremarkable, ordinary boys learning to cope with emotions they fear and possibly can't understand.

Director Jon Fox strikes the right balance, lights the film beautifully, at times allowing primary colors to wash over the entire screen. Another nice touch is having the poetry to flow across the screen (I'm assuming Sam's) adding a rich layer of emotion to an already overwhelming experience.

I've read many negative criticisms here (and elsewhere) so I suppose this is one of those no-budget indies that speaks strongly to some while others can't seem to find its remarkable heart. A beautiful experience for those willing to look past its obvious limitations.