This is a well-meaning, earnest, low-budget film about a man and a boy, both fatherless, both seeking the love from and approval of a father/older brother image. One is straight, one is gay. They are thrown together, share stories, dreams, and influence each others' lives.
It's not really a gay romance, so let's get that out of the way first. There is only one scene between the two men in bed and it is so laden with flashbacks of a former love, that it is unclear whether the two share just a kiss and a hug - or more. The director keeps the physical intimacy of the relationship a puzzle for the audience.
Nate (Paul Preiss) is a fatherless young man, living with his mother and girlfriend in an impoverished rural area. He is about to enlist in the marines to find some purpose in his life. On a visit back from boot camp he encounters Andy (Bart Fletcher), a young man who wears eye makeup and seems as aimless as Nate. They both need ready money: Nate to put a down payment on an engagement ring; Andy to finance a trip across country to escape his life. They are hired to do a porn shoot, but once aware of the circumstances, leave. On the road, they bond.
Andy suffers from the grief of a dead lover, also a marine. He doesn't tell Nate his sexual orientation, nor does Nate ask. To further complicate things, Andy has fathered a child in a moment of party drunkenness.
Andy is the real catalyst in Nate's life, urging him to do what HE wants to do, not what he has been told he should do. He helps him find who he believes is his father, instilling the confidence to do so, and later in an ambiguous shower scene, he encourages Nate to decide if he wants to join him without regard to what he's been taught, but in response to what he really wants.
There are three surprises in the last half hour, one after another, but none of them seem forced or out of character with the script and the relationships. The bonding seems very real and appropriate and the script beautifully shows the emptiness in both men's lives because of the loss of a father figure.
Preiss and Fletcher are both fine young actors and give exemplary, totally believable performances. Fletcher bears an uncanny resemblance to the young Jared Leto. Candy Clark as Nate's mother does well also.
There are a number of inconsistencies. How does Nate think he can go AWOL without being caught? How does he find his "father's" office, through a warren of floors and office and without a name on the door when he finally does find it? What happens to the uniform he ditches - doesn't that belong to the US Marines, not him? But these don't impinge terribly on the script.
It's a very low key, intimate drama and quite poignant. I had wished the physical intimacy had been better established and not just hinted at - and I don't mean I wanted or needed to see sex, because neither was seeking that- they were seeking love in physical expression. Had the director given us some BROKEBACK scenes, it would be all we would have needed to have truly understood how both felt about each other.
All in all, it's a nice film. I'm glad I saw it. I'm glad they made it. Preiss and Fletcher are both finds. They have the talent and the charisma to go far.
It's not really a gay romance, so let's get that out of the way first. There is only one scene between the two men in bed and it is so laden with flashbacks of a former love, that it is unclear whether the two share just a kiss and a hug - or more. The director keeps the physical intimacy of the relationship a puzzle for the audience.
Nate (Paul Preiss) is a fatherless young man, living with his mother and girlfriend in an impoverished rural area. He is about to enlist in the marines to find some purpose in his life. On a visit back from boot camp he encounters Andy (Bart Fletcher), a young man who wears eye makeup and seems as aimless as Nate. They both need ready money: Nate to put a down payment on an engagement ring; Andy to finance a trip across country to escape his life. They are hired to do a porn shoot, but once aware of the circumstances, leave. On the road, they bond.
Andy suffers from the grief of a dead lover, also a marine. He doesn't tell Nate his sexual orientation, nor does Nate ask. To further complicate things, Andy has fathered a child in a moment of party drunkenness.
Andy is the real catalyst in Nate's life, urging him to do what HE wants to do, not what he has been told he should do. He helps him find who he believes is his father, instilling the confidence to do so, and later in an ambiguous shower scene, he encourages Nate to decide if he wants to join him without regard to what he's been taught, but in response to what he really wants.
There are three surprises in the last half hour, one after another, but none of them seem forced or out of character with the script and the relationships. The bonding seems very real and appropriate and the script beautifully shows the emptiness in both men's lives because of the loss of a father figure.
Preiss and Fletcher are both fine young actors and give exemplary, totally believable performances. Fletcher bears an uncanny resemblance to the young Jared Leto. Candy Clark as Nate's mother does well also.
There are a number of inconsistencies. How does Nate think he can go AWOL without being caught? How does he find his "father's" office, through a warren of floors and office and without a name on the door when he finally does find it? What happens to the uniform he ditches - doesn't that belong to the US Marines, not him? But these don't impinge terribly on the script.
It's a very low key, intimate drama and quite poignant. I had wished the physical intimacy had been better established and not just hinted at - and I don't mean I wanted or needed to see sex, because neither was seeking that- they were seeking love in physical expression. Had the director given us some BROKEBACK scenes, it would be all we would have needed to have truly understood how both felt about each other.
All in all, it's a nice film. I'm glad I saw it. I'm glad they made it. Preiss and Fletcher are both finds. They have the talent and the charisma to go far.