Customer Reviews

The Delta

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

A compelling character study -- revolving around the confused relationship between a 17-year-old Memphis student and a slightly older Vietnamese immigrant -- that makes for a fascinating tale of sexual, social and racial differences and injustices. Lincoln (Grey) is a sensously handsome youth who, though having a girlfriend, cruises the city's parks after dark for clandestine sexual encounters with other men. There, and later in a peep show store, he meets Minh, a talkative but very troubled young man and the son of a black American GI father whom he has never met, and a Vietnamese woman. Minh takes a liking to the shy Lincoln and they soon set up a strange, quasi-sexual friendship that quickly results in a boat ride deep down the Mississippi Delta in a modern quasi-Tom and Huck adventure.

These two opposites -- Lincoln, the privileged white teen, and Minh, the poor foreigner -- for a bond that inevitably leads to trouble. The film suffers from poor sound, but for adventurous filmgoers, it should not be a disappointment.

The film's twist on the Huckleberry Finn/American West motif is well-done and commendable. Similarly, the burgeoning relationship between the two young men is initially well-dramatized. However, Minh's character lacks development, and potential dramatic use of his disenfranchisemnt (half-black, half-Vietnamese, gay, poor) is unexplored. Minh's character arc lands him the only place he could end up: risking what little he has to avenge his abandonment. Yet we are left wondering the complete reasoning behind his decision, and, in fact, we do not know Minh's name until the movie is almost over. Without due psychological exploration of Minh, the movie's pace is jerky and the film left being somewhat cryptic, which would be to the film's credit if it seemed intentional.

A compelling character study -- revolving around the confused relationship between a 17-year-old Memphis student and a slightly older Vietnamese immigrant -- that makes for a fascinating tale of sexual, social and racial differences and injustices. Lincoln (Grey) is a darkly handsome youth who, though having a girlfriend, cruises the city's parks after dark for furtive sexual encounters with other men. There, and later in a peep show store, he meets Minh, a talkative but somewhat troubled young man and the son of a black GI and a Vietnamese woman. Minh takes a liking to the shy Lincoln and they soon set up a strange, quasi-sexual friendship that quickly results in a boat ride deep down the Mississippi Delta in a modern Tom and Huck adventure. These two opposites -- Lincoln, the privileged white teen, and Minh, the poor foreigner -- form a bond that inevitably leads to trouble... Love stinks!

I remember seeing this in the theatre in 1997 and being stunned by how good it is--films rarely depict life in such gritty real life fashion (no matter how uncomfortable it may make people).

Minh, the [...] Amerasian son of a black GI is comfortable with his sexual orientation, in contrast to the uptight, closeted middle class white men in the film. It's his skin color that causes him problems; his encounters with African Americans make him feel like an exotic alien. Meanwhile, he's rejected and quite cruelly by the Vietnamese community in Memphis which results in his act of violence against the one person he encounters who may have an honest interest in him.

Technically speaking, both the sound and picture quality are very substandard. In my opinion so was the plot which gives new meaning to "slow moving."

A muddled and insulting film. Low budget doesn't have to have an influence on the script or how a film is directed. The problem with this film is certainly not its low production value. In a day and age where discussions are taking place in the top ranks of the US government about changing the constitution to officially discriminate against, gays, we certainly don't need people out of our own ranks creating pieces of entertainment, which show gays as purely dysfunctional human beings.

In The Delta, we have two very vague character studies: one of a 17 year old, upper middle-class kid who vacillates between seeming perfectly happy in his heterosexuality and going out to pick up guys. We never understand this character. There doesn't seem to be any conflict even though his situation screams out for it. Shayne Gray is charming, but that doesn't help a script, which was doomed before it was filmed. The other character is a bitter and confused Vietnamese/American/black man, who claims to search for love, but turns to a murderer, when the young man abandons him. We are left with his act of murder without ever understanding what drove him to it, or what really makes this person tick. After 95 minutes it simply ends and you are none the wiser why it was even written.

Verdict: it puts gay film-making back 25 to 30 years.

The best thing about this movie is Shayne Gray who should have a successful career ahead of him.

The worst thing about this movie is that it is almost impossible to understand what Thang Chan is saying. Chan plays John or Minh Nguyen, a half Vietnamese half African American.

This movie really needs English subtitles so that the viewer can know what Chan is saying as well as some of the other actors whose voices are drowned out.

One synopsis said that Shayne Gray who plays Lincoln Bloom is a handsome student "from a wealthy Jewish family." I saw nothing in the movie that indicated that Lincoln was Jewish or from a wealthy family. He drove a run down older car. His father's house is small and apparently from the 1960s.

I found the ending quite disturbing. It came from nowhere.

Except for watching Shayne Gray, I really do not recommend this movie.

I love this movie, it is one of my favorite gay themed films. It has one of the most honest depictions of life for young closeted gay men. It doesn't try to make anyone out to be a hero, but rather wants the viewer to experience the disconnect and loneliness the characters felt. The intimate camera work and "real life" acting make it seem almost voyeuristic. People complain that it was dull, but it was the intention of the director to make you feel what the characters were feeling... that is living a life where you are so used to going through the motions that you do them without thinking nor any passion. The acting very good, I sometimes wonder if it was acting or projection. This movie is a gem and one I will always cherish.

? This film left me with a huuuge question mark.
WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF CREATING IT?
The plot doesn't exist (well, for some maybe). We have some characters, but we really don't have a chance to know them. To learn something about them.
Yet again a movie, where all gays pictured, aren't likable. One is a closet case, straight? bi? I haven't the foggiest.
The second becomes a killer, after being rejected...
It's one of the films that won't do good to gay community.

Above all of that, the quality of sound and picture is really poor. Low budget is low budget, but it doesn't mean that you don't allow viewers to hear dialogues in your film!

I enjoyed this film and I will likely get back to viewing it again very soon.