I am all too familiar with the work of Producer/Director Jim Fields (Flyover Country; Bugeaters, Preserve Me a Seat). He never ceases to amaze me with the depth and diversity of the material he is able to successfully bring to life on the screen.
Life After Ex, is just one of those movies. Just when you think you are watching just another story about the trials and tribulations of a gay couple in today's America, and another story about same sex marriages, you suddenly realize how invested you are IN those same viewpoints, situations, emotions and very raw feelings that the characters on the screen are portraying. All too often you find yourself saying; "been there, done that". However, in this case, it's the new reality being experience by gay men and women around the world.
Although Life After Ex is sometimes very tough to watch, because it can hit close to home, you find yourself wanting to absorb their life story and learn who these characters are and how their situations intertwine and may even relate to yours.
As in any good human drama, you'll find yourself rooting for the good guys and jeering the ones who are thinking only of their own 'needs', and not those of the ones they hurt, sometimes without any guilt. When the final credits roll, you realize that, as painful as it was to watch at times, you have grown.
The performances by the superb local Nebraska cast, give an even greater sense of reality, and help to engulf you in the truth of life as a gay man in today's world. Nicklaus Knipe gives a very riveting performance which must certain be drawn from his real life experiences. The remainder of the cast step up to successfully portray the character they were hired to interpret.
While this movie may not be for everyone, I would highly recommend it to those, in a relationship or not, who are finding themselves in situations that make them depressed, uncomfortable or even living in fear of physical harm from their partner. It is ok to speak up. It is ok to get away from caustic environments, and Fields clearly crafts the story and directs his actors in such a way as to convey those messages, yet keeping the main message always upfront and light.
There IS Life After Ex, and it can be a very fulfilling and rewarding time no matter your age.
