Customer Reviews

Shelter

5 star:		(180)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm previewing "Shelter" for the Brisbane Queer Film Festival where it screens on Saturday 24th May 2008. "Shelter" shines as a film with huge heart, and one that's been made with equal care by the actors and all of the film-makers.

It's not at all like the angst-ridden abomination of a gay surf flick "Tan Lines". In "Shelter" surfing is simply a fact of life element - it's not used or abused as a device.

"Shelter" is a beautifully edited, spectacular looking and luscious sounding film which is definitely character driven. Each of the main characters is carefully developed so that we quite soon decide that we really do care about Zach, his young nephew Cody and Zach's love interest, Shaun. We want things to work out for them.

We understand that Zach is in a bind - he's allowed himself to be the physical and emotional anchor for a progressively more dysfunctional family, but we know that he deserves much better life options. The writer and director of Shelter has done a fantastic job - not a look or word is wasted, and yet the whole pace of the film is very relaxed.

"Shelter" deserves every accolade that any individual or Festival might care to bestow.

Straight audiences must find "Shelter" to be equally rewarding. The film's theme is, after all, about love, honour and commitment. What could be more wholesome than that?

"Pure being," a friend of mine once said enviously of the surfers riding the waves along the Southern California coast some thirty years ago. Though there was a strict demarcation between the gay section of the beaches and those parts that belonged to the surfers alone, even then a few surfers hung out at night in the Breakers or one of the other gay bars along Highway One, especially in Laguna. There, what seemed so easy a life out in the Pacific, just following the next big waves one after another, became less obvious and more conflicted. Stories about coming out have so dominated many gay films that the theme has developed into an archetype, a genre of its own with endless variations: from dark into light, from secrets into revelation. In Shelter, Zach is a young artist who has turned down a scholarship at CalArts in order to stay home to care for his nephew Cody. Zach has inherited the family gene, from his mother he says. All the concerns and nearly all the love the five year old Cody should find in his mother, Zach's sister Jeanne, he gets from Zach alone. Zach has had a long time girlfriend, but everything about their relationship is tentative, on hold. When he meets his best friend's older brother again after several years, they surf together, just as they used to. But Shaun is an openly gay man who has published a novel which Zach has read. Shaun's sexuality is no secret to Zach, but Zach's is to Shaun--as it may still be to Zach himself, at least in the sense that he has never before been with a man (or in all likelihood a woman; his responses to his girlfriend are mostly tepid, except when his real longings frighten him). What Zach wants more than anything are family and love. After a night during which he and Shaun kiss, Zach is happy but its meaning is still uncertain. He rides the waves, paces the deck of the house he shares with his sister and nephew in what he calls San Pedro's ghetto, then drives back to the family house on the beach where Shaun is staying to recuperate emotionally after a boyfriend has dumped him in L.A. What follows between Zach and Shaun is stunning in its impact upon both men. Their coupling, however, is not filmed as soft core porn, all or nearly all about the physical alone, but as love scenes. What matters most is the feeling shown through their eyes. All the acting in this emotionally profound film is superb, but the love beyond words Zach and Shaun manage to express just with their eyes has almost never before been seen in movies, not even, say, in Brokeback where to some degree it was often having to be hidden by one or the other man. What follows in Shelter is Zach's coming to understand what that love means to him for the rest of his life. Part of this is the usual problem of coming out to his friends and to his sister, though nearly all that effort is accomplished for him; they know before he tells them. But he must also come to see himself better; he must change, too, as he tells Shaun later. Part of that transformation is his discovering more fully who Shaun is. Shaun has been criticized by some viewers for being too patient with Zach. But patience is part of love, one of the virtues that help people abide all the messes we make or almost make out of our lives. When Zach learns that Shaun has mailed his application and portfolio to CalArts, he sees, quietly, the man's generosity. In a way, Shaun has shown that he loves Zach as kindly and patiently as Zach loves Cody. Zach's and Shaun's erotic communion is intense. But this is a love that is also caritas, deep, perhaps abiding. It is his recognition of that possibiity, if not certainty that leads Zach back to Shaun, especially after a talk with his girlfriend in which he says his only regret (about being gay) is that he wanted to make a family with her. In this moment between them, it is her goodness which allows her to encourage Zach to return to Shaun, to the different family he might find now through Shaun and with Cody. At least, she says, he should try. Near the end, after Zach and Shaun drive to the house to pick up Cody from Zach's sister who is moving to Portland with her rough boyfriend, Zach turns to Shaun and takes his hand in his. It is a gesture of love between them as telling as any more passionate embrace. The seemingly unencumbered lives both men had known together surfing when younger--Shaun the master, Zach the pupil in a running joke between them--has grown into a love that is in every sense good. I think this is one of the best movies ever made about gay men, searchingly decent and generously spirited about love without any loss in erotic force. It is also wonderfully realized, except in a few of the songs on the soundtrack, in both the director's eye and the hearts of all the performers, even those in relatively minor roles (Gabe is as perfect a surfer dude as one can imagine, but with more than the usual soul). But Trevor Wright as Zach gives to his character an especially touching complexity. Zach is in some ways still a kid, talking in the lingo of surfers, tagging buildings, riding his skateboard. But he's also emotionally older than everyone else in his life, already committed to a way of living many people never come to. His coming out is more painful to himself than it is to others perhaps because his need for real communion is already so great. Yet he finds it. This is emotionally complex work for so young an actor. But every gesture he makes, everything he expresses is true; no moment ever feels false or contrived. What the movie leaves one with is a sense of both the hopes and ambiguities of moral being, a far more difficult, yet greater life than merely riding the waves of one's youth.

What a WONDERFULLY romantic film! Like the other reviewers before me, I was besotted by the film. This is definitely one of the best gay themed movie to come in a long while. Production values, acting, actors were all top notch. Definitely something you would keep as a collector.

.........Some "Childhood Fantasies" can come true ) (alternate review title). Oh, and.....how about even a 2d alternate title: "Who do YOU think was holding that Video Recorder?"

((Here is my approach to obtaining/viewing/reviewing Gay tales in film form (you could see it as seeking the holy grail of that genre, or as looking for the "Addictive Film"---that movie one returns to time and again). Selection and purchase of a film to view is based mainly on finding new releases by favorite directors/screenwriters and/or on comments/reviews by others of you at major online sites. Re the latter, sometimes I feel correctly steered by you (the "Keepers" filling my DVD shelves), other times mislead, occasionally badly (the "Throwaways"----and I do toss 'em). Rarely, I come across the "Addictive," those I can re-watch at least every couple of months or so (see below starred *** area for a list......and for some of the "near-Addictive" as well). For some movies, I'll share a full review with you, as follows for this film. Thanks for sticking with me so far.))

As a preface to all this, I'm not interested in telling the story here; I'm into telling 'about' the story here. And that's easy because the gay relationship part of it is one of the best on film and DVD today.

First off, it's got to be said that, whether one's straight or gay (except for those already "out"), putting yourself "out there" for this type role has got to be an extremely difficult decision. Why? Because people in our backward and selectively puritanical society are going to make assumptions about you for doing so---whether they be correct or incorrect. Bearing this in mind, Director Markowitz was surprisingly fortunate in obtaining the acting services of both a Trevor Wright and a Brad Rowe. And whether taking these roles was good for their careers, both actors absolutely shine in this production.......as used to be said: these guys got Chemistry. There's a naturalness, a comfortableness between the two that's seldom been achieved in other gay romances set to film.

Also, big kudos to this director for being able to elicit/draw out such intimately physical scenes between our two leads. Kissing, especially, comes across as unforced, unrushed (except when they're "hot") and completely enjoyed by the characters (even if and when "tongue" might be involved). I'd call this kind of "acting" going above and beyond. Would that every American, gay romance director achieve this same degree of natural intimacy on the part of male couples; very few have. In my opinion, only French director, Christian Faure, in his 2000 French production, "Just A Question Of Love" (Just a Question of Love) (or "Juste Une Question D'Amour" when looking it up on some other film websites), set the bar higher. Intimacy between the two in that film fairly crackles.

As for their individual performances:

-- Trevor Wright puts Zach across as the ultimate likable guy---one putting everyone else's needs before his own (whether they deserve it or not). He's the one often being put upon, yet he stays so positive.......no wonder that Shaun falls for him. He makes us all fall for him. And nowhere do we do so more than when, at the end of his most intimate scene, he and Shaun are lying happily face to face, and Trevor has brought Zach's expression to such a peacefully satisfied level that Shaun just has to say: "You're so beautiful" (and at that moment we can see he truly is). Then, our Zach can only shyly bring himself to wrinkle his nose and softly scoff: "Shut up." What an endearing moment.

-- Re Brad Rowe: In preparing for this shoot and the extreme intimacy of some of the scenes, someone had to lead the way. I more than suspect that person was the older and much more film-experienced 'The Brad-ster.' This becomes apparent when you listen to the DVD Special Features Voice-over Commentary by Markowitz, Brad and Trevor, and conclude that Brad's comfortably easy and low key approach was just what was needed to pull character Zach (as well as newer performer, Trevor) out of any shell of fears and doubts he might be having. In the end, it is through Brad's Shaun that we see Zach being so very fortunate to have wound up with a loving/caring person who would remove him from the undesirable circumstances in which he lived.......and, importantly, get him into the advanced art schooling he so definitely deserved.

As concerns their "time-together" scenes and performances, it becomes obvious from listening to specific comments by Trevor and Brad in the Voice-over that they are quite proud of their work in the love-making scenes, particularly the really intimate moments. How often could we expect to hear non-gay actors express such thoughts---knowing everyone watching the video would hear them? Not often, I suspect.

And let's not forget about Director, Jonah Markowitz. It's obvious from watching this, his first-time feature film, that he has the chops to run with the big boys. Why? Because for any film to be successful, it is the "little touches" a director/scriptwriter worth his salt throws in that mean the difference in a memorable production and one that isn't. Take the exciting scene we all love where Zach returns to Shaun's house and, for all practical purposes, throws himself into Shaun's arms (and bed). Markowitz doesn't just shoot this happening; instead he gives us a very emotional lead-up scene of an agonizing Zach, pacing around his little art workspace and nervously knocking things about. Now, finally, he's fully admitted to himself who he is, sexually, and what kind of relationship he wants with the one who means the most to him. At this point, he's got our sympathies and has us worked up almost as much as himself......just waiting for that next step to be taken. It's then, in the very next scene, that we see Shaun heading for his front door and the person we know is anxiously waiting there. What happens next is: Wow!! So you see, folks, this is how a really successful director does things.

Moving on to other considerations, not everything about the film works out so well for this reviewer. While Tina Holmes does a fine job with her role as Zach's sister, Jeanne, it is not her fault that her called-for and frequently whinny/naggy, oh-poor-me, onscreen time exceeds what otherwise would have made for a better film. We'd already quickly learned that it is Zach who is the real put upon one, whose life is being stolen. Better, by far, would have been less scenes involving her and more of involving Zach/Shaun's developing relationship.

And what's my favorite scene? Well I have to say that, other than those arousing "BGLM" shots (Dudes, ya just gotta learn what that means by taking in the DVD Voice-over feature), my fave is definitely that quiet, easy surfside stroll taken by Zach and Shaun, their arms comfortably bumping from time to time. They begin talking of writer Shaun's last book, a gay romance novel. And then, because of Zach's glowing remarks about having read the book, it starts becoming clear to us that it's becoming clear to Shaun that Zach clearly knows about and is comfortable with Shaun's, shall we say, big sexual proclivity in life. Then, it's, like, WHOA!!!......as it suddenly hits Shaun what just might lie ahead for the two of them. It's a perfect little scene.

A final thought involving an appropriate 'mantra' for this film.......which would be: {"Little by little, the 'Master' leads the 'Student' out---capitalize those 3 letters if you will---so he can be who he really is, and comfortably so"}. That's really the journey on which this movie has taken us. (If you actually watch this film, the terms just now used will have so much more meaning).

P.S.---And, importantly, at the very end we've learned that, like fairytales, some "Childhood Fantasies" can also come true (here,again, if you listened well during the screening, you'll know what this means).

P.P.S.---If you've been wonder'n about this review's title), then all ya have to do to satisfy that itch is to grab a look and listen to the DVD Special Features section, wherein the Director + Brad + Trevor walk us through that 'first kiss' scene. Very enlightening.

P.P.P.S.---As to who was holding that Video Recorder (you know, the one that shot a little video titled: "SKATE THIS! with GABE & ZACH," showing a couple of early teenage skateboarders doin their thing) the answer would likely be a younger Shaun. Then, it hits us: isn't it interesting that an emotionally down and vulnerable Shaun---on the downspin from a difficult relationship breakup---finds his way back to that place of pleasanter times, that place of fonder connections, that place of.......Zach. (We've already pretty much arrived at the conclusion that he hadn't come home to see his away-from-the-area parents, or a brother he'd been seeing from time to time, anyway).

***This film is becoming "Addictive." ***Other such habit formers: "Brokeback Mountain" / "Boy Culture" (Boy Culture) / "All Over The Guy" (All Over the Guy) / "Second Skin" (Second Skin (Unrated Version)) / "The Man I Love" (The Man I Love) / "Latter Days" (Latter Days (Unrated Edition)).

****

I was just as fascinated with Zach's sister, nephew, ex-girlfriend, and best friend as I was with the two male leads, that is a true compliment. I ordered this movie off Here! TV and watched it 5 times before the 24 hours elapsed. I quickly pre-ordered it from Amazon. I like all kinds of movies but some movies are content to just put two good-looking guys on screen, take their shirts off, let them get touchy and hope it plays. This one came through. You really wanted Zach to make the right decision and even agonized with what would become of little Cody if he didn't. And of course, two good-looking guys make out. That's a plus...not the whole show! Also, the soundtrack is wonderful! Truly a charming and inspiring romance.

I saw this at a GLBT film festival last year and have been waiting ever since for it to release on DVD so I could buy it. The characters are perfect and the story is written beautifully. I loved Brad in Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss and love that he did this great film. Tina Holmes was perfect as the sister and I remembered her from Edge of Seventeen. This is an all around perfect love story for anyone, gay or straight.

Without a doubt, Shelter is one of my favorite gay-themed movies. The director called it the "anti-Brokeback" and I would have to agree. It's a beautifully written love story that just happens to revolve around two guys, one of whom is on a journey to discover his affectional orientation.

What I loved:
* A new gay image. Both of the main characters, Zach and Shaun, are completely non-stereotypical. They just happen to be gay.
* Happy ending. I'm a sucker for a happy ending and it's good to see that Zach and Shaun live happily ever after. Too many gay movies make it look like gay = drama and heartbreak.
* Sex is kept to a minimum. What little they show is done tastefully. We see nothing below the waist.
* The eye contact they share provides a level of non-sexual intimacy never before seen in a gay movie. These characters are in love. They don't have to say it, because you can see it.
* No fag hag! Zach has an on-and-off girlfriend (Tori) at the beginning of the movie. When she starts to suspect his confusion, she backs off and gives him time to come to terms with himself. She's very much not a gay groupie.

What I disliked:
* Too short. The movie was only 90 minutes, including credits. Some parts felt rushed. Everything was fully fleshed, but I felt it could have gone on another half hour.
* Casting quirks. Tina Holmes' (Jeanne) performance was slightly under-par, compared to everybody else's.

As always in 'gay themed' movies there is the definite temptation to play the party boy/drug user/AID victim card. It's incredibly refreshing to find a movie that doesn't pander to traditional gay male stereotypes. There have been a lot of things said here about this movie already, some incredibly insightful. Rather than try to struggle for the usual explicatives, I'll just say how & why this movie moved and touched my soul.

There were a lot of plots and subplots going on here; poverty, desperate lives being crushed and yet there was always the glimmer of hope on the horizon, art, angst of coming out and the poignancy of first time/unconditional love. And of course, how utterly exquisite to truly portray how much a sport can mean to a male and how it can anchor us even in the craziest of times. Although my life has been somewhat different, I can relate to so many levels and pieces of this movie that it's scary and uncanny at the same time. All of it...to come out as an adult when formally you've been in hiding with all your friends, to catch that one last run of the day as you chase the sun...to have the freedom (for the first time) to really love somebody of the same sex that you were always meant to love in the first place. I lived this movie through both the main characters because I've been both the main characters as I lived through poverty with hopeless, broken dreams and a unwavering loyalty to 'family', while discovering true love in the midst of chaos and ashes.

And through it all, Zack's mural was his life; his frustration, his intense sadness, his trap, his love of family, the angst of being misunderstood by everyone and finally the sublime happiness of new-found love. It's all there, the life of a man painted on a wall for the world to witness and see.

This isn't a perfect movie by any means; the 'sex scene' was stilted and phony, yet the tender kissing scenes where as good as they can get. Truly, both the main actors are gifted to pull off such a believable gay love story. But this is a movie that you have to take in it's entirety and not something subject to be picked apart scene by scene. There were times when I shouted at the screen and times when I teared up. The relationship with Shaun and Zack's little brother (Cody) was magnificently portrayed. It's not publicized enough how fluid and positive gay men can be around impressionable boys. The homophobic ignorance portrayed is painfully accurate in this movie; with respect to how many parents/adults think that young boys hanging around with a gay role model is 'just not right'.

I've probably seen 150+ gay themed movies in the last three yrs and this one is absolutely in the top tier of my mental queue list. Rent it, buy it and just enjoy it! God, please give us more movies like this one.

Sometimes, rarely, after having watched dozens upon dozens of disappointing films, you get lucky and come across one that not only lives up to, but surpasses all the praise that more often than not was just hype anyways. And... also sometimes, you go back to watch it a second time just to see if your first impression was correct, and you are horrified to see that you were mistaken and that this is just a lousy film and you don't know what you were thinking. Have I sufficiently confused you? Then let me just say that this film, "Shelter", was one of the most beautiful, surprising, well acted, noble films I've ever seen. These actors, most of whom are either unknown or not "stars", are so, so much better than the small but undying, rotating, irritating crop of so called superstars that monopolize every churned out piece of Hollywood garbage. The performances here are so seamless, modest, and real, that you feel that you are watching just that, real life. Of course, watching real life can be boring, and what most actors and films of today completely fail at is to not only make the story interesting, but enables it to go beyond being entertainment to give it that intangible element of realism that truly moves you. In this film you feel their pain, joy, loneliness, frustration, and liberation in your very gut, and that is rare for films today, especially a "small' film that does not bang you over the head with special effects or try and bring a tear to your eye with overacting and ear splitting sweeping music. Though this film has a gay story line, it is relevant to anyone who is alive, and it's message about love, loyalty, and being true to yourself is for everyone. I will not go on and i will not tell you the story line as plenty of other reviewers have already done this, and some of them very well. I will only say that as a person who grew up loving the movies and having been disappointed in 95% of all the films made in the last 25 years, it is so refreshing, enjoyable, and heartening to come across a film as beautiful as this one. It is poetry. It is perfect. It hopefully makes some people aware that there are different and positive qualities that define a "family." It is the best film of it's kind that I have ever seen. And the actors, director, writer, etc..should all be extremely proud of their accomplishment, and, as a disheartened, quality- starved filmgoer, i thank them all.

SHELTER is a sweet film about a 20-something guy struggling with his family, his future, and his sexuality. Supposedly straight Zach lives in a poor neighborhood with his deadbeat dad and his needy sister who'd rather party than care for her son Cody. Zach is an artist, but he's missing out on going to art school because he's working to support his family, and he's Cody's unofficial primary caretaker. Zach's wealthy (straight) best friend Gabe is off at school and Zach's off-and-on girlfriend doesn't have much time for him, so Zach spends most of his free time surfing. When Zach discovers that Gabe's older (gay) brother Shaun has come back home for a while after a bad breakup, the two start hanging out. Their surfing sessions together lead to a deeper friendship, and a kiss leads to confusion, which only adds to Zach's struggles.

A film with this storyline has the potential to come off sounding like an after-school special about homosexuality, but SHELTER is so much more than that. It's a sweet story about love, family, duty, and acceptance. Sure, there's angst and conflict, but it's realistic and, more importantly, it's appropriate. Zach's hesitation to begin a permanent relationship with Shaun stems more from Zach's obligations to his family than from his fear of being labeled as gay. Zach is understandably conflicted, but Shaun is patient and kind and never pushes or makes accusations.

The supporting cast in this movie is wonderful. The on-off girlfriend is a very strong character, and best friend Gabe's scenes with Zach and with Shaun are great. The "confrontation" scene between Gabe and Zach is beautiful and touching, and is different from so many of the "coming out" scenes we're used to.

The actors that play Zach and Shaun have amazing chemistry, which really impressed me since I believe both are straight, and I know at least one of the men is married IRL. The scenes between Zach and Shaun are sensual and romantic, and the sexual tension is thick. There's nothing explicit in this movie. The very few love scenes in the movie are surprisingly tame as far as content, but at the same time that palpable tension and sizzling chemistry make them incredibly hot and sensual. The first real love scene is a scene of total surrender, and it's absolutely beautiful, both artistically and emotionally.

I recommend this movie to any fan of beautiful romance between men. It's sweet, sexy, beautiful, and absolutely unforgettable. It's one of the best movies I've seen this year.