This one is currently making the festival rounds, and last night played at Los Angeles' Outfest, to an enthusiastic crowd. That it was produced by Here! TV (creators of such awful crud as Dante's Cove) didn't exactly fill me with much hope, but to my surprise, I walked out of last night's screening believing that I'd seen one of the best films Outfest has programmed in years, and one of the best gay films about family dynamics ever. From writer/director Jonah Markowitz down to even the smallest details, this one's a winner. The story seems very simple, but Markowitz takes his very familiar coming-of-age premise and molds it into a very rich and rewarding experience for movie viewers. In a nutshell, the story is about Zach, a talented young artist struggling to balance the demands and responsibilities of his disintegrating family with his need to express himself as an individual and deal with his budding sexuality. Lead actor, Trevor Wright, deserves a lot of praise for giving such a commanding performance in a role that involves a lot of quiet moments. You see so much of the story in Wright's beautiful eyes and nuanced expressions. He has one small scene, while driving home, that had the Outfest audience thunderously cheering, and all it involves is a slow, satisfied smile that creeps across his lips. And that's just one of many truly lovely moments. The rest of the cast is top-notch as well. And the cinematography of Joseph White (lots of beautiful long shots, as well as some amazing surfing footage courtesy of surf director of photography David Warshauer) and the evocative score by J. Peter Robinson (and original songs by Shane Mack) really help make this one of the best gay-themed films made in years. I can't praise it highly enough. See it the first chance you get!
Review of Shelter
