Tumbledown

Back in the beginning of the Aids crisis, there was people running around having unprotected sex with anyone and everyone ( revenge sex) with the intention of infecting them. Thankfully that didn't last long. Between serious jail time and more info from research it stopped.

Tumbledown is named for Tumbledown Mountain where this film was shot and there's some mighty pretty scenery there. Too bad we did not get a film to match the scenery.

Supposedly Tumbledown is based on a true incident where Todd Verow who also wrote and directed the film invites a hunky 30 something bartender in a gay bar to spend some time in the woods where Verow has a cabin. The bartender Todd Hallowell eagerly agrees and is even more eager when he sees Brett Faulkner, Verow's young twink of a boyfriend.

But Verow does something quite irreversible to both of them and in the end they feel they have to take measures.

None of these performances were anywhere close to Oscar caliber. They're not even spectacularly bad for Razzies. The sex scenes to cover a lot of bad acting. Practice guys, practice, the acting not the sex, you're already good there.

This is like a really bad gay porn film that had all the actual sex edited out. Acting was atrocious. Writing even worse. Even if they had included the sex scenes, I don't think it would have helped, since actors were not attractive.

A real case is used for a film mixing friendship, a trap, rape, testimonies about relation with a middle age man, revenge, porno scenes, solidarity and a sort of justice, definitions of truth and naivety and a sort of story at level of sketches. The older man , the younger ones, abuse, dramatic scenes and a sort of end of reconciliation with yourself .And the floor of kitchen as definitory detail. A film like so many others, not bad, not awful, good intentioned, starting from interesting premise and proposing a noble message as warning. But, obvious, something is missing. The acting is, in large measure, decent when it is not symbolic, but the final taste is about only demonstration of a director of his skills and a good opportunity to use a nice location.

Todd Verow wrote, filmed and directed this story about a man who thinks nothing of spiking the drinks of younger men then having his wicked way with them. Is there more to it? Well I'm open to explanations, for the vast majority of the story simply features the star - having lured thirty-something barman "Rick" (Brad Hallowell) to his remote mountainside home - having fairly graphic sex with him on the kitchen floor whilst he is out cold. There is a sort of accompanying narration that appears to suggest that this sex is/was consensual but we soon discover that poor old "Brad" is not the only one to have succumbed to his ruthless behaviour and the repercussions are pretty permanent! Will they seek revenge? If there is a plot it lacks cohesion and substance - for me, this was just an excuse for some home-movie style sex and though I'm certainly no puritan, if I want porn I will look elsewhere...