Customer Reviews

Drift [VHS]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

I almost didn't check out this flick based on a couple of the user comments, but I'm glad I did. This is a real independent film, in the best sense of the term. It totally goes out on a limb and presents a totally unique point of view...and one I haven't seen a great deal of in gay cinema. It's very low budget and there is absolutely no Hollywood glitz or glamour here, just raw emotion. That's probably a minus to most people, but it's a huge plus to someone like me who hates popular mainstream cinema. It's shot kind of like a documentary and it isn't cast with a bunch of airhead pretty boys like you might find at the nearest circuit party. These are real people who look and act like real people. It doesn't look like anyone is wearing makeup and I thought that was totally cool. I liked the fact that the lead was Asian, for no apparent reason. The dialogue has a tendency to be a bit on the cheesy side sometimes. How many times CAN those two guys use the word "visceral"? But it all still works and though some of it is really sad, some of it is just downright funny. My best buddy and I laughed out loud at a couple of parts when the story started shifting into the "what if" scenarios. Loved that.. especially the third scenario when the young guy comes on to the boyfriend character by giving him a massage. That was hilarious. There's real heart here and I'm glad I checked it out. If you like your films on the glossy side, then this one is definitely not for you. If you like a bit more of an edge, then check this one out.

DRIFT is one of my favorite gay films... I saw this at the premiere at the sold-out San Francisco International Gay Film Festival and loved it. I also bought a DVD of it which has some cool extras.

It's an erotic relationship drama which is different from the most gay films which are usually about coming out and picking up. So it's a refreshing start. I really enjoy the twists and turns of the drama, and I've come to very much identified with the lead, played by handsome Reggie Lee. The most touching scene is the break-up scene when Ryan, the lead, has to leave his sleeping boyfriend early in the morning (am I giving out too much?)... but just that scene, so well-crafted and performed, is worth the ticket price (or purchase price of the DVD).

It's also very quirky and has a personal touch which really places the film a notch above other artificial or run-of-the-mill romantic drama. Check it out!

I remember reading a great review of this film in the Los Angeles Times, so I decided to check it out on DVD. I wasn't disappointed. It's really clever and addresses relationship issues that are rarely addressed in gay films. Sure, the main character (played by R.T. Lee) whines a lot and is in his head a lot, but I know so many people who are exactly like him. The other two actors who make up the love triangle are super. The boyfriend (played by Greyson Dayne) is completely sweet and naturalistic and the college kid (played by Johnathon Roessler) is hilarious. The entire cast, for that matter is great, especially the coffee shop owner (with a couple of the best lines in the film). The photography is a little stark and jolting, but it looks like it was intended to be that way, adding to the naturalistic feel. Very cool! This is a really worthy effort by director Quentin Lee and should be checked out by everyone interested in gay cinema.

Oh my gosh! My friend made me watch this film the other night and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. This is the smartest gay-themed film I have seen since the "The Wedding Banquet."

Finally in "DRIFT" we have a gay film about real people who have real people problems. No one is dealing with coming out, self loathing, AIDS, or dying. Nope, no stereotypes here, thank God! The documentary feel of this film is especially compelling, almost making the viewer feel as though they're peeping in a window they shouldn't be.

The cast is amazing and their work is so natural that you almost have to wonder if director Quentin Lee just found these people and shot their true story (kind of like a homo-Real World). It's so nice to see actors in a gay film who are smart and sexy without being West Hollywood steroid clones. The chemistry between RT Lee and Greyson Dayne is hot, to say the least - though a little nudity would have been very welcomed. Their break-up scene was so real and painful that it just about wiped me out. I also LOVED the best friend characters played by Desi DelValle and Sebastien Guy. I wish I had best friends like that.

The film has a lot of humor, but ultimately it left me feeling extremely melancholy about all the decisions that I've made in my life that might have gone a different way. Anyway, I can't wait to take a look at the other films from Quentin Lee. He has a real eye for real people and real situations.

I bought this DVD and watched it with my next door neighbor. It's funny because we had completely different viewpoints about the film. He just didn't get it (not being one the sharpest tools in the shed anyway). But I thought that this was truly one of the best small indie gay films I've seen in a long time. The situations were completely - painfully - believable and the writing was smart and truthful. Though I've never seen any of these people before, the actors were outstanding and totally real - from the leads (Ryan, Joel, and Leo) all the way down to the smaller supporting parts (Carrie, Matt, Bob). The film starts out a little slow, but a third of the way through it takes a surprising twist (but I won't give it away). From then on the film had me and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Though not for every taste -- there are some raw sex scenes -- I think this is a film that is well worth a look for those who like thought provoking and experimental gay films.

My initial thought at this DVD was "Why do many filmmakers of [homosexual]movies feel so compelled to put shirtless guys on the movie jacket?" It's almost insulting. But they have to let you know that it's A [homosexual]Movie, I guess. In any event, on to the content... The concept of exploring different possibilities as related to the outcome of an event or decision is not new, but is seldom explored in cinema, probably for the reason that it's somewhat hard to follow. If you've ever seen the movie "Go" -- which is essentially the same story told three times from three different perspectives -- then you know what I mean. It's ingenious in a way, but you have to make yourself think outside of what the formulaic movie flow has become -- not altogether a bad thing. The event here is Ryan's three-year relationship with Joel coming to an end because although Ryan loves Joel, he doesn't feel that Joel understands him or fully connects with him. This of course happens around the same time he by chance meets young Leo, an aspiring writer who connects with Ryan on so many obscure levels, it's almost creepy (including their shared "romantic" fascination with serial rapists/killers). From that encounter, the movie tells three stories depending on the various possibilities -- Ryan leaves Joel, falls in love with Leo (it's mutual) and forms a new relationship; or Ryan and Leo just have an affair which only affirms Ryan's true love for Joel and they get back together; or Ryan leaves Joel to pursue Leo, who rejects him out of hand on HIS mission to pursue Joel, who subsequently rejects HIM. With me so far? This is why this stuff is challenging to present in film! There's also a somewhat irrelevant tangent that brings a published writer named Dane into the mix. He's a friend of Joel's from high school, and in L.A. on a book tour. In one version, he sleeps with Joel; in another, he sleeps with Ryan, and it really adds little to the journey of the main characters. It's a good movie, and frankly, the performances are very, VERY realistic and well-conceived. I didn't feel like the lines were scripted at all, and the relationships Ryan had with his two good friends (both straight) were superlative. In the end, though, I felt cheated and dissatisfied... not because the movie didn't spell out the ending (rather it just explored possibilities), but it almost seemed like Quentin Lee got bored with writing the story, or wrote himself into a corner, then spent ten minutes hastily churning out a very contrived, very bland ending that really flew in the face of the preceding 80 minutes of storytelling. This is not a movie to be avoided, by any means -- it was smart and enjoyable. I just wanted a little more than it had to offer, which was almost the cliché, "... and after that summer, I was never the same again" ending that Christina Ricci's characted DeeDee railed about in "The Opposite of Sex".

"Drift" is a small scale, intimate, gay relationship film from writer/director Quentin Lee, produced with Canadian funding.

Set in contemporary Los Angeles, "Drift" stars R. T. Lee as Ryan, a mid-20s screenwriter/ coffee shop worker. Ryan is within days of his third anniversary living with Joel (played by Greyson Dayne), a worker in a gay community center. Having dragged Joel to a cocktail party, Ryan meets Leo (played by Jonathon Roessler), a younger college student who turns out to share Ryan's interest in serial killers and horror movies. Ryan soon is thinking that, although Joel is comfortable and a good provider, Leo is the one who understands what Ryan is all about and could be his true soulmate.

Ryan decides the honorable thing to do is move out of the apartment until he sorts out what to do. Luckily Ryan has friends, one a straight man and the other a woman, who volunteer to help him out. After moving out, Ryan wants to get closer to Leo, and Joel gets to try out his own options. Leo meanwhile casts an eye on Joel. Old loves might not be dead loves either.

Ryan realizes he is generating a mess for a lot of people as he drifts along but doesn't have much perspective until he tricks with a character who finds some of the right words. The movie goes on to its conclusion.

The basic story with its emotional tangles has promise. The difficulties I had came from the script or from the acting. The film focuses on Ryan, leaving the other characters less developed. Why had Ryan and Joel stayed together for so long? Why would low-income Ryan decide so quickly to leave an apartment he didn't even pay rent on without first having a secure long-term landing spot? Why would there be no thought to the economic impact on low/mid-income Joel? Some speeches are deliberately recycled, sometimes to telling effect (especially one asking serially for devirginization; some live life as a script). The viewer can go along with most of the words, although the portrayals of some of the emotions may lack conviction.

I liked the pithy reflections Ryan had on himself as he walked away from his last trick. He later concludes with a sentiment that the key to happiness was living a life without regret. The audience will have to weigh this with all the emotional damage done to self and others and with what Ryan's final situation is.

I almost didn't write a review of this movie because it appears anyone who doesn't give it '5' stars or criticizes it receives a number of negative reviews..

This movie was OK. It has a "Sliding Doors" premise - how will my life be different if I do or don't make the choice to end my relationship? The premise is interesting, and given a small budget, the film is passable.

The acting, aside from brief and rare moments of talent, is as wooden as I've ever seen. I'd have given my eye teeth for a decent drama queen to say or do something that showed some emotion or feeling behind the dialogue. Speaking of dialogue - it seemed to be forcing itself to some sort of gay intellectualism - but by re-using the words 'visceral connection' about 10 times (and not during the 'repeated' scenes) it came across as monotonous and boring.

I applaud anyone who has the ability to get an indie film made, and this one wasn't necessarily BAD, but I don't think it offered any new perspectives or thoughts on the issue of relationships or compatibility, it just rehashed old ones in a completely unemotional way. But the acting - jeez. Rent if possible, don't buy.

Hello. To be honest, I ordered this DVD based on the provocative cover art, but I was really surprised when I watched it. This is one of the most interesting gay films that I have ever seen. It starts out ordinary enough, with a typical boy meets boy, boy leaves boy type scenario. Then things get really fun when we are given three alternate endings if one little thing had gone differently. It is totally thought-provoking and inspiring. The actors who play Ryan, Joel, and Leo are all unknowns, but they are all top-notch and fun to watch. The director - Quentin Lee - really has something here, and has created one of the best gay films of the year. But it shouldn't just be classified as a "gay film" because the themes should appeal to anyone who has been in a long term relationship!!!

I couldn't sympathize with the main character who didn't know when he had a good thing and threw it away on a whim. We are reminded constantly that he was together with his boyfriend for three years. I had trouble caring.

Disjointed and uninteresting are understatements. I had trouble getting through it and felt unsatisfied at the end. It should have been named "Immaturity In Action."

Better choices (MUCH better choices) include Latter Days, All Over the Guy, Gone But Not Forgotten, Red Dirt, or even Leaving Metropolis which, compared to this film, is interesting and polished.

My two stars was charity. Don't expect much.