Apart From Hugh
Picture: C+
Sound: C Extras: C Film: B-
Hugh (Steve Arnold) and Collin (David Merwin) are having a
serious gay relationship that seems to be going well. They can talk to each other, care about each other, are in love
with each other and have a future that seems pleasant in a place that seems
equally so, but Collin is having some second thoughts in writer/director Jon
FitzGerald’s Apart From Hugh (1994).
This Gay New Wave winner takes a serious look at such relationships and never
sells out, going all the way through in examining what is a dilemma for gay
males couples in general like no other.
Both men are well rounded and that makes them even more of
a match, but having “everything to live for” always seems to good to be true
and there is not reason for either of the men to be unhappy. However, as in all relationships, one person
alone is so complex that doubt is going to be a constant in any relationship. Because they are so compatible, the idea
that one is in doubt while the other is unaware goes beyond just a gay couple,
but the existential angst the film achieves so subtly is ultimately why the
film is so engaging over a decade later.
The 1.33 X 1 black and white image is not bad for being
made in an era where real black and white is sadly dead. Cinematographer Randall Allred constantly
comes up with fine composition that zeroes in on the intimacy without looking
like bad television shots that are too close.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is lower than expected in audio fidelity, but
I wonder if this would sound clearer in PCM sound. Extras include the Adam Baran short Love & Deaf (2003)
and a videotaped outtake form the film.
- Nicholas Sheffo
