Customer Reviews

Love Life

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gay marriage and the idea of what if a gay man and a lesbian wed for convenience form the basis for this the latest film from indie auteur Damion Dietz. It's all about an arranged marriage of Mary and Joe for finances and appearances between a washed up pro ball player and his wealthy wife who wants to hide behind the facade of a happy homemaker. Joe has clandestine quickies on the side with men he finds in parks, and Mary just gives up sex completely. Everything is fine as long as neither of them finds emotional attachment. They are challenged by two people who ask for more than just sex from them - a handsome out landscaper and Mary's old college flame.

Dietz is a great visualist, and the film has an icy cool sheen that follows the construct far more than the characters. There is a great deal of nudity, but not too much of anyone is revealed. Everyone is wrapped in a protective layer that only barely gets dropped on occasion in the film. All of that is intentional as the movie has a languid pace similar to a Bergman film where things just happen and we witness events without too much explanation. If you like stylized melodrama, then this is the perfect film to sit down and soak up. Pretty people, pretty places, and an icy cool meditation on what happiness is and what it means to give it up are what you'll get.

The DVD is fullframe with a commentary from Dietz and lead actress Stephanie Kirchen (who you can see in every Damion Dietz film). It's a nicely made film, and the commentary is very enlightening and congenial (yes, I listen to these tracks). This is not a typical "gay" film. It's cool, removed, and detatched in style. It also features women equally as much as men. It's intelligent and meditative. Very interesting piece of work, and a must see for anyone who appreciates innovative and daring GLBT cinema that challenges the audience to think a good bit and fill in the blanks.

When I first saw the cover box at Blockbuster I was in awe of Stephen Gill's picture. He's a very handsome man in a beefcake sort of way. The storyline and Stephen were sure to make this a good movie. Unfortunately, the movie has a very weak story, a cheap porn-like soundtrack, and is very dark. I think they forgot to hire a lighting crew. I wouldn't not recommend it, but I also wouldn't say you had to rush out and buy it. Lucky for me I rented it.

Love Life is a movie that tells the story of the false prison we keep ourselves in. Yet we all have the key to unlock the door.
It's one of those few films that plays well for gay and lesbians. Yes, it's a gay themed movie but it examines what many of us go through in our quest for self acceptance be it gay or straight.
The acting of the cast, Stephen D. Gill, Keith A. Beardon, Stephanie Kirchen and Jill Cozine is top notch!
It's classy, erotic, sensual and thought provoking. It shows that if you allow yourself to be honest you can unlock the true person inside of you. You will not be disappointed buying this dvd.

This DVD is not a movie as such. Its a drama that has been taken out of a documentary. Its not bad at all, but is not the type that will entertain those looking for a good love drama or sex filled adult porn movie. You realy need to read, look and listen between the lines. Its a deep movie for those who know whats going on or who have been on the same road.

This movie will teach you something if you know how to watch it properly.

Like a few others, I fell for the hot cover picture of the hairy jock in glasses. The story of a gay-lesbian marriage of convenience didn't appeal to me much, but I figured I could skip the lesbian parts if they got too boring. That all turned upside down as I watched the movie.

I lost interest in the hairy jock the first time they showed his closely trimmed pubic hair (that kind of thing seriously turns me off), but my growing interest in the other characters--and in the movie itself--more than made up for it. I ended up enjoying Love Life very much, and I enjoy it more with each viewing. The fact that I even want to watch it more than once says a lot.

This is a very intelligent, moody, quietly seductive exploration of personal relationships and private motives. Not much happens on the surface, but a lot underneath. The movie is smartly and economically written, beautifully composed and edited, with lovely closeups and lyrical intercutting of scenes between the two couples. All the actors--including those in supporting roles--are very, very good. A lot of gifted people put a lot into this, and they made an excellent movie with very little money.

I'd never heard of Damion Dietz, but this movie has made me a big fan. I'm in the process of watching some of his earlier films, starting with his first feature Fag Hag, which so far is about as much unlike Love Life as a movie could be. Dietz has a lead role in it, and he's delightful. After that I'm going to watch his latest movie, Dog Tags.

He's clearly growing as a filmmaker, and I'm eager to see how his work develops. I'm sorry to see that he hasn't acted in his later movies, but maybe he'll come back in front of the camera someday.

There's only one problem with the DVD. It has a very interesting commentary track, but you can't hear the normal audio in the background, and the commentary is out of sync with the video, so that they're talking about stuff you don't see for another 20 seconds or so. That all makes it a little hard to follow, but what they say is so interesting that it's worth a lot of shuttling back and forth to piece it together.

I did not care for the movie at all. it was all comentary. i thought it was going to be a good judging by he description. if i would have knowen that is was like that i would have never bought. i was very disapponted.