Shelter
(2007/Here! DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Film: C+
In yet
another gay self-discovery story, a young man named Zack breaks up with his
latest girlfriend, is at a crossroads with his future, is trying to help out
his sister & nephew, then is juggling friends, one of whom is his openly
gay childhood best friend. That is the
set-up of writer-director Jonah Markowitz’s Shelter (2007) and it turns out to be a better feature overall than
expected. It can be rough around the
production edges at times, and predictable others, but is one of the more
watchable gay-themed works we’ve seen in a while among the limited product we
get in that field.
However,
the big flaw is the relationship and not because of the acting, but because of
its lack of development and that is supposed to be the centerpiece. Also, I found it false to sell this as a Gay
Surf flick that was not spoofy or campy, though it is serious, just never
totally pans out. Still, there is some
talent here, it has some moments and if this type of storytelling is lucky, a
transitional work into more mature and advanced filmmaking.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is not bad and has some good shots, but
other times, it is a flat shoot and there is not enough surf or beach footage. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is not bad, with
well-recorded dialogue and a fairly good soundmix. Extras include a making of featurette, Music
Video and feature length audio commentary buy the director and leads Brad Rowe
& Trevor Wright.
- Nicholas Sheffo
