Gone, But Not Forgotten

Warning: I talk about the ending of the movie as one of its strong points. Do not read on if you wish to be surprised. "Gone But Not Forgotten" is another in a long line of low-budget gay-themed movies. We cannot hold this movie up against a movie with a full Hollywood backing. So once we let that go a bit (the camera work is OK; the score is OK; the editing is OK; the acting is OK), we find a story to make us smile. The characters do and say the things we hope they will do. Too many movies try too hard to make a point on social issues. This movie allows us the smile that comes from a gay-themed movie with a happy ending. Everyone learns; everyone loves; all is right for the main characters. Wouldn't be nice if we had more movies that made us smile instead of making us say, "yep, that's how the real world is"?

This movie was a wonderful surprise for me. From the reviews and basic plot synopses I'd read, I was already pretty sure I'd like it. What I didn't expect was to fall completely in love with it. I was immediately drawn into the storyline with characters I really cared about. With his very first scene, Aaron Orr drew me to his character, and throughout the movie, proceeded to make me laugh with and cry for Drew. His chemistry with Matthew Montgomery was nothing short of electric, and the two of them easily made me forget that Drew and Mark were only characters on the screen.

The less polished production quality is one of the things I love most, and I'm amazed at how the cast and crew put this little gem together on such a tight budget. I've been recommending this film to everyone I know!

The actors aren't very good looking and don't really act very well. The storyline of a guy with amnesia whose past life is unknown is rather predictable and despite what another reviewer here says, there's really not any "mystery" to it. The movie seems to be shot on a handy cam. But despite all this, I enjoyed the 90 minutes I spent watching this movie and found it to be quite engaging. The lovely locales surely helped. And maybe even the fact that our heroes aren't good looking but are sweet and ordinary (Drew's face reminds me of a cute chipmunk). Anyway, an independent gay movie is bound to suffer when compared to slick Hollywood movies, so I think it's best not to go there. I recommend this movie to all gay people, but don't go in expecting Bareback Mountain.

You will cry sometimes and will feel with the true gay love between two men. This movie has a theme of true friendship, brotherly love and loyalty.

This little movie, made on a shoestring budget with a small cast and crew, cannot fairly be compared with a multi-million dollar Hollywood production. In spite of any production limitations, this is a true gem... A simply delightful little film.

I'm sure that most of us have a short list of movies that are the entertainment equivalent of soul food - movies that we watch over and over again... we may not fully understand why we like the movie, but it gives us a sense of inner peace - for me, "Gone, But Not Forgotten" is such a film. I found the story refreshingly different from the mainstream gay-themed movies and I thought that the two principal actors, Aaron Orr and Matthew Montgomery were excellent, particularly in the very well crafted love scene.

It doesn't take a huge budget and expensive special effects to tell a story well. All it takes is a good storyteller... and Michael D. Akers and Sandon Berg, along with their excellent cast, have managed to tell an interesting and unusual story in an honest and straightforward way.