Shelter

When I first watched this film, I was unprepared for and deeply moved by the honest and touching screenplay by director Jonah Markowitz and the superb quality of acting by a fine cast. Trevor Wright can be proud of his convincing and moving portrayal of a young man at a point in his life at which he is confused about and questioning his sexual orientation. Trevor Wright develops his character, Zach, in a completely natural and unforced manner. His control of his body language and facial expression -- particularly his eyes -- has to be seen to be believed in an actor of his age. His dialog flows naturally, giving one the impression that it is all being said for the first time. This last is true of the entire cast attesting to the knowing guidance of their director.

Also brilliant are the performances by Brad Rowe, Tina Holmes, Ross Thomas, Katie Walder and Jackson Wurth. Repeated viewing of the film makes even more clear the depth of characterizations by this very able cast. Most impressive is the emotion expressed by eye contact achieved between Trevor Wright and Brad Rowe -- something very uncommon and unforgettable in a film of this kind.

My only criticism is that a few scenes seem a little rushed. Another 8 to 10 minutes wouldn't have hurt this fine film. One example is the night scene in Zach's (Trevor Wright) backyard, beautifully shot incidentally, with the lights of the Vincent Thomas bridge in the background. A little more time could have been given to Zach's indecision to go to Shaun (Brad Rowe) and allow the scene to flow more naturally; a closeup of Zach's looking out at the bridge and then a shot of the bridge that will take him to Shaun might have been nice.

It is regrettable that this fine movie has not been given wide theatrical distribution.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Brokeback Mt., but I saw a screening of this film at the SF Gay and Lesbian Film Festival tonight and loved it as much as BBM and in some ways appreciated it more. At the Q & A after the screening the producer mentioned that the production company exec who green-lighted the project said he wanted to make "the anti-Brokeback," and in this I think they have succeeded magnificently. This is a genuine, heartfelt story about gay love minus all the tragedy and shattered lives. Which isn't to say there's no drama... Let's just say that some characters in the story have some problems, but mostly they're not a direct result of the love story at the film's core. For my money the acting (with avowed heterosexuals playing the gay roles, as in BBM) was more convincing, the kissing more natural, the sex scenes extremely sexy and moving; another milestone in the realistic portrayal of gay love and sex. The family setting provided a context that allowed one man's coming out story to be just one among many changes all families go through together while simultaneously putting some evil homophobic stereotypes to bed, you should pardon the expression, rather than dwelling on them as in BBM. Bravo to the filmmakers and excellent cast, and I hope you get a chance to see it soon if you weren't lucky enough to be among the 1400 people at the Castro theater tonight. Oh, and the lead actors are drop dead gorgeous and playing surfers. Enough said.

This has got to be the best film I've seen at the San Francisco LGBT film festival in years. The director and cast were in attendance at the world premiere and they were given a worthy standing ovation. Writer/director Jonah Markowitz did a fantastic job of flushing out real characters. Trevor Wright was a real natural and convincing as someone struggling to come out. He really made you feel his pain. The story about his codependent sister is dead-on. Brad Rowe is like a young Greg Kinnear. You can't help liking him. The soundtrack was excellent and I hope to see it released. This is the first film from here! Network and I hope to see more of this quality. Incidentally, I've noticed on the IMDb search that there are two other films being released in 2007 with the title "Shelter" and there a half dozen films in the past with the same title. Also, on the allmovie guide (AMG) site there is an Italian film with the same title. Interesting enough, that film is being shown at the SF LGBT festival and was changed to Shelter Me. Hopefully, the "surfer gay movie" will stand out.

I'm previewing a disc version for the Brisbane Queer Film Festival where Shelter screens on Saturday 24th May 2008. Even in this low res screener, Shelter shines as a film with huge heart, and one that's been made with equal care by the actors and all of the film-makers.

It's not at all like the angst-ridden abomination of a gay surf flick "Tan Lines". Surfing is simply a fact of life element in "Shelter" - it's not used or abused as a device.

"Shelter" is a beautifully edited, spectacular looking and luscious sounding film which is definitely character driven. Each of the main characters is carefully developed so that we quite soon decide that we really do care about Zach, his young nephew Cody and Zach's love interest, Shaun. We want things to work out for them.

We understand that Zach is in a bind - he's allowed himself to be the physical and emotional anchor for a progressively more dysfunctional family, but we know that he deserves much better life options. The writers and director of Shelter have done a fantastic job - not a look or word is wasted, and yet the whole pace of the film is very relaxed.

"Shelter" deserves every accolade that any individual or Festival might care to bestow.

Straight audiences must find "Shelter" to be equally rewarding. The film's theme is, after all, about love, honour and commitment. What could be more wholesome than that?

I only recently found out about this movie and I'm so glad I did! The movie is so amazing and inspiring to watch. It is a great film and I would urge people to watch it if they have no already. However, if you like huge box office smashers with plenty of action, this movie is not for you. It's so true to real life and has the ability to inspire others. The storyline is very simple yet so interesting and moving. It's a simple movie with a beautiful meaning behind it and I'm so happy I got to see it. It is now definitely one of my best movies and I wish more people would make movies like this, instead of all the non meaningful rubbish thats out there today. I really do recommend people to watch it, especially if you are thinking about it, it is worth it and you will hopefully enjoy it as much as I did!