Down The River (2004/Water Bearer Films DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C     Extras: C     Film: C+

 

 

Made in the repressive country of Thailand, Writer/Director Anucha Boonyanatana’s Down The River (2004) is a rich but too-short mediation on being Gay, country or no country.  The two makes in the story are close friends, one being (relatively) openly homosexual and the other not.  Still, they are close and when they have to separate, will they be able to find a way to stay linked or will it be the end?

 

Oddly, that is the same question Superbad asks in its own way towards the end, though they are never gay or lovers.  However, this is not just about gay male love or sex, but about two males bonding and yes, there is a difference.  In the end, we get the answer here, but if this were longer, who knows how much further it could have gone to ask even deeper, tougher questions.  What is here certainly feels authentic enough.

 

The letterboxed 1.85 X 1 is a bit soft and originated on video, but is not and for a graduate student shoot.  Color helps redeem the playback.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is simple stereo at best, can be mono and often so rough that there is breakup.  The only extra is a making of featurette a half-hour long, which is half the length of the actual production.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo