rlculpepper

Did this become a different show? Stilted acting of bad, trite and phony dialogue and the visual splendor is gone. They're continuing one unfinished thread with the nightmare but the show is now without the tone or panache of the 1st 4 episodes and nuance of eps 5 and 6. They've apparently started a new story line midseason and it is shallow, phony and uninteresting to say the least. I'm at a loss for words. It's not the same show, it's become something from CBS in the 2000s with a few bad words, attempts at gore and badly written modern progressive characters.

My thoughts on this movie are a volley of contradictions. Overall the film is not really for me. I prefer filmmaking like God's Own Country, Looking, Moonlight, Pride and Call Me by your Name. So I may be inconsequential. The dialogue tells us Benny is a high functioning aspirational college kid who just happens to be a gay Mexican American from a progressive Mexican American family. He meets white, high functioning Christopher playing college soccer. Without affirmation of sexuality, Benny and Christopher strike up a romance. Things are perfect for these perfect guys living in a perfect world where they are unquestionably accepted by anyone else shown on screen; that is UNTIL - their connection to a tragic accident from the past comes to bear and Benny and his family must face the challenge this places on their life. I assert that although the film involves interracial characters, the narrative is in no way influenced by the character's identities. One could change any characters race, nationality, gender or anything about how they identify and it does not matter. If this sounds bland to you, so is the movie, as it was for me. On one hand it's welcome to see diversity in a story not centered on some strife of diversity. Yet, it feels whitewashed, unauthentic and actually, devoid of a depiction of diversity. The movie itself inspires similar contradictions. A simple narrative structure and script to show and tell it's story in refreshingly uncomplicated story telling. But, this also made it predictable and benign. The production values are fine; though uninspired. The acting is fine to good; but Edmund Donovan is a standout as Christopher. He brought authenticity and nuance to the uninventive dialogue for the character. He doesn't scene steal so much as outshine his scene partners. There is subtext and nuance, but the production limits it to passing dialogue in the script (What happened with Christopher's mom for instance). It sideswipes us with an unsupported pivot by Benny's father and his motivational speech with his wife. It's conventional which has a place and can have great affect. This is the kind of movie some will love and others will find bland. On a personal note to filmmakers; is there a vehicle to showcase relationship building rather than the Amorous relationship building montage; and showing freedom and/or connection with the scenes of lovers swimming together?

• I noticed this in 3 of 3 gay themed films I've recently seen. I'm not saying I hate it, but I see it too much.

In 2014 I thought and wrote of Berger's Hawaii... Berger's use of eroticism is a bit obvious in this. Perhaps because I've seen his moves before, they stand out as a bit contrived.

It seems for Taekwondo the only effort to stretch and evolve has been to up the ante of sexual tension with more men and more (much more) nudity. Again Berger shows us that eroticism is introduced by so much more than sex. Its still an animal notion of combined human attraction, contact and bond. The movie clings to his oft used narrative "will they or wont they" but here it felt reduced to teen angst. I recognized some effort to add questions of machismo, sexuality (as usual) and questions of the bonds of friendship. If you've seen Berger's wonderful "Plan B" or "Sexual Tension" "Absent" or "Hawaii" you've see most of the tricks and many of the shots also used in this movie as well as pacing, shot composition, and narrative exploration before, but in a better movie than this one.