an incredibly beautiful film - buy it
Added 7/15/2004
i first saw this film in 1996 and it helped me come out. i saw it again this year and it's still as beautiful.the reason why i say buy this film is because it is one of the few times you will see a gay couple portrayed honestly, with dignity and without any of the scene frippery that seems to have to accompany most gay films. i won't tell you anything about the story line but will say that this is a rare portrait showing that men can love one another fiercely, tenderly and beautifully. by concentrating on the issues the two men are facing rather than their relationship together we get a truthful portrayal of our love and any political points are reserved for the wonderful political art made by one of the characters. i can't recommend this film strongly enough. it gave me something tangible to realise that men can love men beautifully before i came out and continues to sustain me now. truthfully, the warmest, most truthful gay film i have ever seen
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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heartfelt and honest
Added 4/21/2002
This magical and mystical little Minneapolis-based film is basically about two cute (but not 'Hollywood perfect'), quirky guys who fall in love at first sight (much to the pretend annoyance of their friend, the catty narrator who propels the story). They struggle with all the problems of life: living together; the death of parents; coming out; homophobia from family, peers, and workplace; their future. Matt Guidry and Gregory G. Giles could not be more perfect, and loving, in their portrayals and Mark (an HIV+ artist) and Joey (a garbage collector who sees art and beauty in what is 'junk' to others). Mark's cynicism softens in the light of Joey's loving, giving nature and they complement one another perfectly. But their story is far from maudlin. It is gritty and real, and they both have demons. But Mark and Joey also have each other, and their sweet story is just about as lovely, intelligent (with homages to Gregg Araki's The Living End and Hamlet), and warm as any on screen. A bright, shining little gem.
12 out of 12 people found this helpful.
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After one viewing ...
Added 1/1/2002
I'm writing this after having seen the film only once, so please take that into consideration. For some reason I had a very different idea of what the story was going to be about. Maybe because every review mentions that one of the characters is HIV+.The film was clearly made on a meager budget but it's a small story and isn't necessarily hurt by that. And the two leads are talented enough and attractive enough to be enjoyable to watch on their own. The problem for me was that the director-writer seemed to have no very clear idea of what he wanted to communicate. I had the impression that some of the events of this story were probably taken from real life because he seemed to think they would be emotionally resonant on their own. Maybe they were for him but they meant nothing to me. He leaps from one event to the next without accumulating much to the narrative, so it adds up to not very much. The main pleasure remains the two main characters and their love for each other. That they love each other is never really in doubt and never really in danger. But at least the director leaves it alone for the most part and so they hold you pleasantly engaged while he wanders all over the landscape.
3 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Flawed but worthwhile
Added 10/25/2001
This is a believeable, well-acted romantic drama. There's nothing as grand and all-encompassing as the title, just the story of two young men deeply in love, coping with money and family problems while working to stay together. That's about all, but it's enough. The two leads (Mark Gruindy and Gregory Giles) are appealing and believeable, and the low budget actually helps the film. The only significant flaw is the REALLY annoying narrator. He's only a minor player in the story, so why have him introduce the story? But other criticisms of the film are trivial. It's true that the Mark Gruindy character is exasperating in his self-richeous, I'm-A-Victim attitude. But there are a lot of professional activists im the community like him. Gregory Giles's character is too good to be true, but that's typical of movie romances. As for the characters being too handsome, so what? If you want to see a heartfelt, realistic romance and cheer on a couple to stay together, this may be worth your while.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Moved me to tears
Added 6/7/2001
An amazing movie about a sculpture who builds a model gothic cathedral to get over the death of his father. Totally believable unique real gay men.
6 out of 12 people found this helpful.
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an incredibly beautiful film - buy it
Added 7/15/2004
i first saw this film in 1996 and it helped me come out. i saw it again this year and it's still as beautiful.the reason why i say buy this film is because it is one of the few times you will see a gay couple portrayed honestly, with dignity and without any of the scene frippery that seems to have to accompany most gay films. i won't tell you anything about the story line but will say that this is a rare portrait showing that men can love one another fiercely, tenderly and beautifully. by concentrating on the issues the two men are facing rather than their relationship together we get a truthful portrayal of our love and any political points are reserved for the wonderful political art made by one of the characters. i can't recommend this film strongly enough. it gave me something tangible to realise that men can love men beautifully before i came out and continues to sustain me now. truthfully, the warmest, most truthful gay film i have ever seen
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
|
heartfelt and honest
Added 4/21/2002
This magical and mystical little Minneapolis-based film is basically about two cute (but not 'Hollywood perfect'), quirky guys who fall in love at first sight (much to the pretend annoyance of their friend, the catty narrator who propels the story). They struggle with all the problems of life: living together; the death of parents; coming out; homophobia from family, peers, and workplace; their future. Matt Guidry and Gregory G. Giles could not be more perfect, and loving, in their portrayals and Mark (an HIV+ artist) and Joey (a garbage collector who sees art and beauty in what is 'junk' to others). Mark's cynicism softens in the light of Joey's loving, giving nature and they complement one another perfectly. But their story is far from maudlin. It is gritty and real, and they both have demons. But Mark and Joey also have each other, and their sweet story is just about as lovely, intelligent (with homages to Gregg Araki's The Living End and Hamlet), and warm as any on screen. A bright, shining little gem.
12 out of 12 people found this helpful.
|
After one viewing ...
Added 1/1/2002
I'm writing this after having seen the film only once, so please take that into consideration. For some reason I had a very different idea of what the story was going to be about. Maybe because every review mentions that one of the characters is HIV+.The film was clearly made on a meager budget but it's a small story and isn't necessarily hurt by that. And the two leads are talented enough and attractive enough to be enjoyable to watch on their own. The problem for me was that the director-writer seemed to have no very clear idea of what he wanted to communicate. I had the impression that some of the events of this story were probably taken from real life because he seemed to think they would be emotionally resonant on their own. Maybe they were for him but they meant nothing to me. He leaps from one event to the next without accumulating much to the narrative, so it adds up to not very much. The main pleasure remains the two main characters and their love for each other. That they love each other is never really in doubt and never really in danger. But at least the director leaves it alone for the most part and so they hold you pleasantly engaged while he wanders all over the landscape.
3 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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