User reviews

Relishing the freedom to openly be oneself can be a fulfilling and liberating experience, especially for those who have lived most of their lives hiding from disapproving family members and a close-minded society. So it is for Lourenço (Marco Pigossi), a Brazilian transplant seeking to resettle permanently in Provincetown, MA, a goal dependent on him acquiring a work visa to replace a tourist visa that's about to expire. He has an added incentive to fulfill that objective when he meets and falls for Maurice (James Bland), a vacationer from New York who's visiting the oceanside resort town before embarking on an ambitious, long-term nursing residency in the wilds of Angola. But can the two would-be lovers make this relationship work in light of the impending changes in their respective lives, geography and careers? What's more, as this budding romance begins to blossom, Lourenço also wrestles with leftover baggage from an old relationship, unwanted advances from opportunistic lecherous would-be suitors and never-ending pressure from his mother back in Brazil, who is unaware of his closeted sexuality and routinely prods him to settle down and find a wife. While writer-director Marco Calvani capably and sensitively presents a tender, authentic, same-sex love story, the picture nevertheless tells a somewhat familiar tale whose narrative is not particularly original in the annals of LGBTQ+ cinema. It also struggles to blend its own brands of comedy and drama, both of which are handled well in their own right but whose inherent natures frequently come across as too extremely opposed to one another to harmonize in a believable, coherent whole. On top of that, the film also tries to cover too much ground at times, with a number of subplots that could have been easily trimmed or eliminated entirely without causing any undue harm to the picture overall. To its credit, though, this offering sincerely has its heart in the right place, despite the aforementioned shortcomings, backed up by an array of fine supporting performances and gorgeous cinematography showcasing the beauty and character of this charming Cape Cod resort town. Unfortunately, however, "High Tide" is yet another recent release that could have used some significant retooling to help it fully live up to its potential, especially given its predominantly conventional premise. Gay cinema has increasingly been moving forward in new and innovative directions in recent years, so, if filmmakers in this genre attempt to tackle new expressions of tried-and-true formulas like this, they had better have a good grasp of what they're doing if they ultimately hope to succeed in the end.

I saw this at the IFC Center during its opening week in NYC, and I was charmed by it. The intercut scenes did a great job of establishing the setting, and the relationships between the characters were nicely layered. The sex scenes were artfully done and evocative. The story of a Brazilian immigrant in P-town is not high drama, but it is human, and on that level, it did a great job of throwing the spotlight on gay culture and the theme of wanting to escape one's life, through dancing, swimming, drugs, or relief work in Angola. The casting was interesting, the performances very realistic, the cinematography beautiful, and the montages worked well. My husband missed much of the show because he lost his ticket and had to get up to use the bathroom, and he felt the plot was predictable. I however could not have predicted what happened at the end, I don't think he could have either.

This movie is so well done not only for the story line that most foreigners can relate, the gay life's nuances, but also for the photography and scenes cuts.

What seamed to be an ordinary story, was transformed to be a moving sequence of events and little details of life that made it all combined a gorgeous film to watch.

From romance, to drama, to fun, to suspense, the mix of emotions was so captivating to watch and lovely to learn more about the story.

I could not recommend it enough. Me and my friends left the theater crying and wanting for the second one. I hope there is a continuation of the story.

Beautifully shot, this quiet, affecting film is a "gay film" that goes way beyond the conventional broken-hearted gay love story that we've seen so many times. It's tender and universal and is, at base, about about two men who both feel out of place, even within their own queer community. The two beautiful stars, Marco Pigossi and James Bland, bring the story to life and the cinematography captures the moody end of season beauty and lonliness of Provincetown. It's modern, moving and unsentimental. Great star turns from Marissa Tomei and Bill Irwin round out the cast. I saw it with a big group of people, some gay, some straight, some other, and everyone loved it.

This one really is a masterful film! The beautiful mix of pain, grief, love and hope reminds me of films like Moonlight, God's Own Country, Past Lives and Manchester By The Sea. I saw it in Boston and I had the opportunity of thanking the filmmakers in person for creating this gift. The love making scenes are some of the best I've seen in movies. And the cast is incredible... such a beautiful work of art. I hope everyone gets to see this once it gets to streaming. It's a poem, it's a love song, it's everything one can wish for. I've never been to Provincetown but now I'm dying to go! Congrats to everyone involved!

One could drown in the sea of available titles to watch in the current cinema, yet Marco Calvani's 'High Tide', the story of a heartbroken Brazilian emigre in Provincetown on an expiring tourist visa so distinguishes itself from the other grains of sand on the beach as to reach terra firma. Beautifully shot and subtly acted, this film feels more like the work of a mature director, not a freshman debut. Provincetown, in its cedar-shingled and pea-gravelled splendor deserves a supporting actor credit for shedding her silvery New England light on the mortal proceedings. Bill Irwin and Marisa Tomei lead the pitch perfect cast, while the center of gravity, Marco Pigossi (Lourenco) so honestly inhabits his character as to make the film his documentary. James Bland's Maurice as the too-good-to-be-real love interest provides the plot propellant, but his meltdown for being mistaken as a total top just didn't ring so true. Bland's film presence is anything but, and his character more than redeems his missteps by the time all is said and done. Indulge this reviewer noting Maurice is from my hometown of Richmond. All understood, all forgiven.

'High Tide' is emotionally rewarding in its own right, but takes on additional gravity in the context of our immigration system and the new administration's plans to sink it. High tide indeed.

Just saw this at IFC in NYC to a packed house... Outstanding debut film by writer director Marco Calvani! Magnificent performances by Marco Pigossi (a star is born!) and James Bland and Bill Irwin!! Also Marisa Tomei shines! I'm blown away! Exceptional cinematography, editing and the music is sublime... I was moved to tears from start to finish, and even though it's a gay love story and I'm a straight woman I was completely Darwin in and touched and moved... Please go check it out! No surprise it's a New York Times Critics' Pick! Can't wait to see what Mr Calvani does next! Bravo bravo bravo!!!!!!

This beautifully shot film is so much more than a typical "gay film." Marco Pigossi and James Bland bring the story to life with so much sensitivity and depth, and cinematography perfectly and vividly captures the end of season beauty of Provincetown. I was moved in unexpected ways and recommend it highly. I was really touched by the story, the music, the actors. Marco Pigossi delivers such a wonderful performance, sweet, heartbreaking... I really hope to see more movies by this highly-talented director !!! It is a story that carries universal themes. It speaks to the soul in such a delicate and poignant way. I simply adored this film!

A gorgeous piece of cinema by a gifted, generous filmmaker.

Calvani's storytelling, the cinematography, the acting...all stellar. Marco Pigossi as Lourenço couldn't have been a more compelling protagonist. In his hands, Lourenço's journey was shattering. Then, just when I thought the storytellers were going leave my heart in pieces...his breakthrough! His apotheosis! His joy!

James Bland, Bill Irwin, and Marisa Tomei were equally lovely -- deeply felt and uniquely interpreted.

I was especially struck by how fully I was immersed in the world of the film. I felt I inhabited Lourenço's world of post-season Provincetown entirely -- and what a beautiful world it is.

In all, a meticulously crafted and deeply human journey.

I am sobbing... This film is gorgeous, absolutely incredible, a beautiful work of art!!!! I loved this movie so much. Such a delicate, deep, touching film, able to speak straight to the heart. Beautifully directed, the actors are crazy. Honestly, I recommend that you do not miss this gem. A truly wonderful film. The cinematography, the music, the story--everything is perfectly balanced. I walked out of the theater remembering why movies are so precious to the soul. I really wanna thank from the bottom of my soul the actors and especially this highly talented director for the gift who made to all of us.

I had the opportunity to watch the movie last night at the Image+Nation LGBTQIAP+ festival in Montreal and director Marco Calvani was present to introduce the movie and answer questions after. He confirmed my assumptions of the universal experience for queer immigrants. I felt fully represented and almost uncomfortably depicted on screen. As a expat in Canada now, Calvani took me back to London twenty plus years ago to relive many of the good and bad situations the main character Lourenço went through. So no, it wasn't a Brazilian thing that we shared; Marco is Italian and the main character was originally Venezuelan. Interesting fact: Lourenço changed nationality after Marco fell in love with Marco (Pegossi, the lead actor). At the beginning of the session, Calvani asked us to let ourselves submerse in the story and the emotions the movie proposed. No need to ask: like Lourenço himself, we dived in its clear waters and shared his emotions and experience. Pegossi has grown so much from the time when he played a policeman for TV I wonder if it's the coming out, the maturity or the proximity to the director. The loneliness is palpable, the situations are real and very close to home, and the queerness is as relatable as the race and class underlying debate. Looking forward to Marco's next work. And kudos to the whole cast and crew.

I can't even put into words what I felt seeing High Tide last night, because it made me feel things that I've never felt before and that is the best thing that can happen to me when I watch a movie. Lourenço helped me see parts of myself that I hadn't faced in a while. It's visually and emotionally stunning, not to mention funny (I laughed my face off at many moments). Marco Pigossi is phenomenal, such a subtle performance full of pain and vulnerability, I hope he wins all the awards! I could talk about it for hours... Congratulations to the filmmakers on this beautiful work of art and life!!!!

High Tide is a precious, powerful gem of a film; a story that stays with you after you've left the cinema.

I loved how layered the film was; themes of love and loss, of exclusion, loneliness and generational change, but also of hope and connection, and the small ripples of love that give us courage to keep going. We see love and heartbreak, growth and confusion - that awful state where heartbreak stops you in your tracks is beautifully portrayed by Marco Pigossi.

Cinematically, the film looks gorgeous, and we get to know Provincetown almost as a character in itself. The performances are pitch perfect and the score brings all the elements together so beautifully.

Bravo Marco and Marco!

My husband and I, along with a group of friends, saw High Tide during its run in Miami Beach. Everyone absolutely loved it. The film resonates on many levels, as it delves into the plight of undocumented immigrants, love lost, and romance found. The cast is all great, from star Marco Pigossi to the rest of the ensemble, to include Academy Award-winning actress Marisa Tomei. And the scenery of Provincetown backdropping the story is sublime ~ if you haven't been it will make you want to go, and if you have, you'll want to return. But it still comes back to the exceptional storyline and the talented cast of actors that bring it to life on the screen, a perfect marriage resulting in a wonderful film. Make sure to see it when you have the opportunity.

Perhaps because I am a lifetime visitor of Provincetown my reaction to this film is slightly skewed--for me it captures the magic of the place with an elegiac sensitivity that is a perfect way to remember. The film, about finding redemption after loss, is gorgeously directed by Marco Calvani, and feels very personal. The cinematography by Oscar Ignacio Jiménez is beautiful-- the feeling of the special light in Provincetown is captured exquisitely. Another highlight is the evocative music by Sebastian Plano which is additive to time, place and again, memory. Finally, a really stellar performance by Marco Pigossi in the lead role makes this one of my favorites of the year. A lovely and multi-faceted tribute to this wonderful place. I'm still thinking about it today and plan to see it again!

It's High Time that we get a High Tide. Marco Calvani not only reminded us of the power that we all have within; but he also reminded us that we are indeed spirits having a human experience.

We should enjoy when it's time to enjoy. We all must endure when it's time to endure.

Many have encountered that watershed moment in life. Point of inflection when you have to stand flat foot and lean in and take full accountability for self. Understanding no one is obligated to save you. And yet there's always a helping hand from a place where I least expected when you help yourself.

To thine own self be true was illustrated brilliantly throughout the film.

High Tide nudges its audience to step away from being judgmental and take on the purest form of being a voyeur gain insight and knowledge.

A welcomed and appreciated moment witnessing the care and diligence for taking on the sensitivity of culture and race and understanding nuance to the smallest complex degree. Bravo to Marco cast crew and team.

High Tide took me in an inner journey of sensitivity, fear and Love. I was captivated by the landscapes and the poignant acting of the main actor. Lourenço eyes and smile invited me to see the beauty that there is in Love and the pains of the unanswered questions in every heart break. I reflected myself in the main actors and experienced a certain healing that was missing. Maria Tomei's acting expressed the duality of hurting a loved one in the journey to learning self love was brilliant. Her line with heavy heart 'I had to break his heart in order to finally love myself. And it was worth it.', will stay with me forever. What a beautiful piece of art. I highly recommend it. N.

I saw the film twice, once in NYC by myself and two nights ago in Montréal with my friends. It was an incredible experience. Such a beautiful authentic representation of the queer experience, a true raw celebration of connection and intimacy. It broke my heart but also filled it with hope. Marco Pigossi is astounding as the lead character, and I loved seeing Marisa Tomei appearing in a few scenes! I miss her! Kudos to writer/director Marco Calvani. It's his first feature film, which explains why I had never heard about his work before, but also it doesn't look like a first feature at all! So accomplished in every aspect! I bet he's going to do great stuff. The score is also magnificent, so is the photography. A feast for the eyes and the soul!

The Film High Tide by Director Marco Calvani portrays (with a plain and honest point of view) the struggles and feelings of instability of a young man who is stuck in a town by the end of the summer and who desperately needs to figure out what the next step in his life as an immigrant is. The story builds up the uncertainty of the main character, that like any vulnerable person, trusts in other people in an act of desperation. There are so many universal points that many of us can relate in Marco's Film. The feeling of being alone in the world and sometimes with no hope of being able to see family and friends again, or simply go back to a status quo.

Marco Pigossi as Lourenço (the main actor) embodies the character of a young gay guy who, like many of us, lives in a place where he doesn't really belong, but he can't go back to where he came from.

In this situation, Lourenço meets Maurice (James Bland), who will be there just for a couple of days, but the connection and chemistry are instant.

The film is faithful to the time needed to develop this beautiful and simple story, with no pretentiousness. Taking pauses, letting the characters breathe out of a situation when they needed it. There are not a lot of times that a film like this explores this type of conflict without being a cliche, and the Director nailed the perfect mood for this Film.

A movie that illuminates the many "closets" we live in and strive to transcend. Undocumented, gay, lonely for love and human connection, family, the need for freedom through the liberating and healing power of nature and art. "High Tide" is a film of shadows and light in which truths are hidden and secrets revealed. Literally, some of the scenes look like they were shot by the master of shadow and light, the great Vittorio Storaro. And director Marco Calvani is fearless in leaning into the edges most films like this ignore, including racial and sexual microaggressions in the gay and straight community. All this set against the most enchanting, sexy and mysterious landscape of tides, mists and cool party scenes.

High Tide is an absolute must-see for queer people, immigrants, marginalized groups, and anybody who has ever fallen in love in the summer. Artfully directed by Marco Calvani, this film redefines the genre of the unlikely love story in gay culture. Beautifully filmed on the beaches of P-Town, It captures the summer adventures of a queer man so many of us have experienced on the East Coast so close to perfect that it's hard to look away. This film tackles many topics of queer life, such as sexual desires and preferences, intimacy, drugs, and club life, one-night stands, and aging in the community. Many directors have tried to portray these things honestly time and time again, but usually, they come across as shallow and not relatable, Yet Calvani manages to hit the nail right on the head for all of them. I am a queer man who has lived most of the topics in this movie and I can honestly say, I felt so seen and represented in the most accurate and relatable way. It's a love story with depth and heart, so much so that it brought me to tears more than once.

High Tide is one of the best queer films I've ever seen.

High Tide offers a scathingly accurate depiction of the gay men's dating scene as well as the exploitation of undocumented workers. It also provides a complex account of friendship, power and privilege. A plot synopsis of this film misses the point though. High Tide provides a glimpse into a world that may be completely familiar or utterly foreign. Regardless, it is a masterfully directed rumination on a moment in time that can be extrapolated into a wider world view. It's a reflection on who we are now and a question, or perhaps even a challenge, about who we might become. We need more films like this.

High Tide is the type of film that makes you want to spend more time with it. This moving and original story makes you think about relationships in a different way. It's a coming of age story without any of the cliches that usually come with it. The chemistry between actors Marco Pigossi and James Bland is amazing! This film captures the magic of Provincetown in such a unique way - and serves a very satisfying ending. It would be a mistake to think of High Tide as only a "gay film", as this is a great movie for anyone looking for an original story about finding your place in the world. I absolutely recommend High Tide.

Just watched at the Roxie in San Francisco, sold out screening with phenomenal lead actor Marco Pigossi in attendance... Heartfelt, sense of belonging, beautifully shot and acted, quiet, new day gay (not about coming out or being a sad gay), it captures the loneliness of being a stranger in a strange land even when you are among your own people... And the love making scenes, wow, the most beautiful ones I've ever seen on screen! Sorry folks, but Calvani's High Tide is way more beautiful than Guadagnino's Queer!!! There, I said it! I hope thsi film gets all the awards it deserves! Bravo to everyone who made it.