Just Another Gay Movie?

Aubs showed me a trailer a couple of months ago of an indie film entitled Shelter. I finally got to watch it when I got this kick-ass link from Buquee. So here's the story. So for those of you who wants to watch, not read, don't continue down then.

It was about a guy discovering his first real love. The story is simple. Guy falls in-love with his bestfriend's brother, they get drunk, they kiss, he walks out, he comes back (couldn't help himself) they roll around the bed a couple of times and then when his bestfriend comes back from vacation, he suddenly got the scardy-cat running around his brains. It has all the cheesy twists and turns of another typical gay movie.

The differences though is marked in it's simplicity. First, he's one of two siblings and he is trying to be the father to his sister's son. He put's his dream of being an artist on hold to help his sister around the house. A sister who doesn't want the other guy around "influencing" her son. Another unexpected twist is when his best friend found out about the relationship it didn't suddenly turn into a tele-novela with fistfights and swearing. He actually started asking about their sex life after declaring it's weird that he's doing his brother. And then he gets jealous about loosing the friendship because they don't talk like before. He ends the conversation telling him they're still brothers, he hugs him and he fades out of the picture. It was a poignant moment.

I think the only character that I felt needed more dimension is the sister. She was bland and lacked the necessary fire. But it helped a little because she seemed unconscionable in her insistence that Zach’s (the lead) dreaming a pipe dream with his art. And that she needed to be with her man and if she needs to leave her kid behind for a year or so, then that’s what she’ll do. It really was a self-centered and selfish decision. But it woke up Zach into realizing that he won’t get anywhere if he doesn’t follow his dreams.

In the end, the dilemma hit too close to home. Setting aside the gay twist, the weighing scale of trying to decide with family on one side and dreams on the other is I think the biggest draw of this story for me. We as Filipinos take the family route more often. I don’t know if it’s cultural, but we tend to stand by our family through most decisions. They are THE priority. Love life and dreams be damned. But the end twist was nice. Turns out the sister wasn’t that much of a heartless bitch. She gave her son to Zach and his partner to be raised. So, all’s well that ends well.

Although I have to say we should all be so lucky when it comes to accepting our own sexuality as Zach did. It seemed almost too easy.

Well, (I have to remind myself) after all, at the end of the day, it is still JUST a movie.