Lazy Eye

'"Lazy Eye" is terse, polished, understated but deeply felt. "Gay" films usually ask viewers to cut them slack, to allow the makers expressive leeway we don't give other films. Lazy Eye stands up proudly and lays down its cards calmly. It compresses the emotional range of a novel as the very best short stories do: Annie Proulx's "Brokeback Mountain does that; so do stories by De Maupassant, Fitzgerald, Katherine Anne Porter, Philip Roth. It's a small film with big things tightly rolled inside it.

This film tells the story of a man who meets his ex boyfriend for the first time in a house in the Mojave desert, after he left without a trace fifteen years ago.

"Lazy Eye" stands out from the crowd because it is very well made. The production is very good, and you can tell everything is professionally made. The sets and locations are nice, and I can see much thought have been put into the designs of what is seen on screen. I particularly like the four coloured prints on the wall of Dean's office, and the nice lighting by the pool at night that illuminates the characters.

Story telling is a strong point in this film. Even though there are only two characters in most of the film, I remain captivated by their constantly changing and dynamic interaction. Every line drives the next line, and I just want more of the story to unfold. I really enjoyed watching "Lazy Eye".

This movie is all about the dialogue and the acting, and both are excellent. Very little happens other than two characters talking honestly, intelligently, and naturally with each other, and so the success of the entire film rests on the audience being interested in the conversation, and liking the characters enough to stick with them. I did.

The film kept my attention throughout, and was nicely photographed and edited, without reinventing the wheel or distracting with needless artsy-fartsy imagery. A simple story, simply told.

A note on the Netflix certificate: Netflix displays an 18 certificate with the warning "strong sex". This is patently absurd, since the two or three sex scenes in the film are very tame, showing nothing more than bare male chests and legs, and maybe a brief glimpse of thigh. Clearly it's the fact that the sex scenes involve two men that makes it so "strong" - and in this day and age I find that double standard offensive. If the same scenes had featured a heterosexual couple, they would have been PG or at a push PG13 and described as "mild". Times and attitudes are changing, but clearly not fast enough.

Lazy Eye does a brilliant job of capturing the nuances and complications of intimacy. I was captivated by the chemistry between the two leads, Dean and Alex. Their superb acting and the carefully crafted story-telling truly bring this story to life.

I appreciate the way the passing of time is handled in this film. It resonates with anyone who has met back up with an old relationship. It feels organic.

Joshua Tree is such a gorgeous back-drop to this narrative. From a production stand-point, this film captures an aesthetic that honors the insane beauty of the desert. Lovely, beautiful film in every way. I highly recommend.

Dean has just been told that his eyesight is deteriorating but that is what happens in 'middle age'. Still a good looking man but suffering the gay years are 1 times 2 sort of thing he starts to have a bit of a mid lifer. So he decides to go off to his little holiday home near Joshua Tree in the Mojave desert.

Then out of the blue his old flame from New York contacts him. This is Alex and he walked out on Dean fifteen years ago. So they go for the rekindle and see what happens route. What happens next is an emotional roller coaster for both men as their honesty acts as a mirror to the other's perceived sins and in return their own.

Now this is a solid piece of film making and for the most part is just the two of them and yet it still works as there is enough chemistry. I saw it billed as a comedy but it is a relationship drama and any mirth that does occur is purely incidental as it is in real life. The acting is all fine as is the direction and everything else with some particularly good cinematography – but with the Mojave to play with you should not go too far wrong. The story may not be to everyone's liking but it does play out in what I consider to be a realistic and interesting way, and so is one that is worth seeing if you enjoy gay cinema (not a porno by the way) for all it brings to our screens.