Loving Annabelle

I'm a woman, straight...{not sure straight or lesbian should have any bearing} but, I found the love scene very arousing and tender! I agree that the intimacy and conflict that the two shared together building up to that moment was what help make that experience so soft and sensual. The struggle you could feel that Simone had with her feelings for Annabelle and then the decision she made to give into those feelings at that moment made my heart ache for her. Putting aside the inner struggle Simone was fighting of wanting to show her love for Annabelle along with the conflict of the student, teacher, relationship that would definitely have legal ramifications, who would want to have to face the grave consequences of making such a professional and moral choice...which struggle only added to the intensity of all the feeling that was unleashed during the consummation and sharing of their deep feelings of love and intimacy one for the other.

It all made me start to think about what it is to really love someone. Not based on gender or orientation, but genuine love for a person for who they are and what they bring out in you as an individual by having a connection with them. I know this is considered a "Lesbian" film,{if you are into labels} but, I can't help but think that there are many individuals who struggle with their connections with others in their intimate relationships, not because they may be "Straight or Lesbian", but because they do not connect on a resonating level of intimacy with the individual with whom they are wanting or trying to connect with. Such as Simone with Michael. Seems she wanted it to work, but it just wasn't there. Does it mean she is a Lesbian because she has loved another woman previously? I don't know...sometimes I'm not sure we get to choose when and who we will connect with on those deeper levels of love. The movie does not suggest that Annabelle has not had male partners before as well. In fact, it kind of leads us to believe she has. I think that this is a great movie that shows we can't always determine who it is we may be drawn toward to resonate on deeper levels of love and intimacy. The movie made me think of the opportunities I may have missed by not being open to nurturing the love I have felt for various individuals, male or female and the individual growth and possibilities that are lost because of not following those loving, tender feelings.

I think all women should see it. Maybe we are all missing some great connections with others because of our fear of being open to love just for the sake of being loving! I'm sure each one of us at some point in our life has experienced on some level the struggles that Simone and Annabelle respectfully face. Not the moral or professional dilemma, but of whether to love or not to love....that truly is the question... isn't it?

After having watched so many lesbian films and being utterly disappointed with the majority of them, it was a relief to sit through "Loving Annabelle." The story touches the heart and is an incredible intro for Katherine Brooks into what I hope will be a long, fruitful career as a Writer/Director for feature films. She takes a controversial subject and handles it well without compromising reality. I am grateful for her courage not to take the easy way out. It sets a standard I hope other film makers are willing to step up to.The excellent cast and direction make this a very memorable viewing experience.

Loving Annabelle is so intense that it is real. The on screen chemistry between Erin Kelly and Diane Giadry is undeniable. Every glance, every touch is heart felt and passionate. You can not help who you fall in love with and this movie is a great love story. Phenomenal and sensual! It is hard to believe that Erin has been on this project for over four years, and Diane a mere three days before shooting. When you put your heart and mind into a script you become that character, when you kiss or dance or touch with that character you are becoming them. Erin and Diane became their characters and the intensity became great chemistry and passion. I have watched this movie several times and each time in draws me in closer. Love is powerful and when it hits you, you have no control.

I'll begin this review by saying I didn't dislike this film. It was well acted, and looked very very good for an independent film. I guess I just felt like I knew everything that was going to happen before it did. At the beginning of the movie, the scenes seemed very trite and underdeveloped; after a few lines of dialogue and a couple of cuts, we're abruptly taken away to the next part of the story. Because of this rushed feeling to the movie, I never got to know the supporting characters, who had plenty of potential for further development.

The one thing I find redeeming about this film is the tension that builds between the two leads. The filmmaker does a good job of teasing the audience time and time again, to the point where I just gave up any hope of them getting together. She successfully took the film to a point where she could take one of two routes: they end up together, or they never take that chance. The choice she makes works for the tone of the film, even if the ending is a tad abrupt.

All in all, the filmmaker definitely has talent, I just wish there was less ambiguity in the narrative and more character development.

"Loving Annabelle" (2006), co-written and directed by Katherine Brooks, is an attractive film with attractive leads. Basically it's a love story between a student at a Catholic school and her female teacher.

The basic concept of the movie is forbidden love. In this case, the love is forbidden for two reasons--it's lesbian and it's between a student and a teacher. That's the basic plot, and everything else in the film revolves around that.

I just reviewed "Sevigne," a movie about a developing relationship between two women. That film was subtle and nuanced. In my opinion, "Loving Annabelle" is neither. It's fairly predictable from the opening scene. A young woman arrives at a Catholic boarding school under heavy escort. It's obvious that she's not happy to be there, and will defy school authority. Then we see her in class with Simone, a beautiful, intelligent woman teacher. The rest of the plot pretty well follows from that. A weak point is that Simone's boy friend, the third corner of the triangle, is obviously far below Simone's level in every respect--there's no real dramatic tension between her feelings for him and her feelings for Annabelle.

The leads are extremely attractive. (Erin Kelly as Annabelle looks like a young Jane Fonda.) Diane Gaidry as Simone looked right for the part and acted it well. Ms. Gaidry was gracious enough to come to the screening of the movie, which played at ImageOut, the Rochester Gay and Lesbian film festival

Finally, in Rochester, almost the entire audience consisted of lesbian couples. It's sad that heterosexuals in Rochester are not perceptive enough to realize that a film about a lesbian relationship can appeal to viewers of all sexual orientations.