vicstevinson

The greatest strength of this coming-of-age story that centers on a young gay man is that his sexuality is established: being gay is not his discovery or central point of the film. He knows he's gay, as does his mom, sister, friends and neighbors. This film is about relationships -- an entire spectrum of them, and not just his interactions. Louis Hofmann as Phil turns in a stunning performance, a great deal of his best moments are unspoken and occur on his face and in his eyes. Jannick Schulmann as Nicholas is ferociously seductive and sweeps Phil and us onlookers off our feet. The surroundings feel natural and speak of each character beautifully. When elements begin coming together, the results are stunning, pointing to a strong script.

Poorly scripted, filmed with a hand-held -- possibly a phone. This entry into the "anyone can make a movie" club is the latest in low-concept DIY judgmental "moral stories." If you do bad things, you'll reap what you sow. The players seem possibly likable, but the film gives us no opportunity. That's tragic, because the simplest character definition and plausible plot might have made this an indie cult classic.

After the first three episodes, it's clear the writers can't steer clear of toxic cliché and tired stereotypes. There's too much useless babbling -- "where did you get this car, these eats are sticky" is what the son is whining about when the family is desperately on the run. The mother is an adamant soccer mom who doesn't seem desperate at all: she's gonna get answers to her questions or nobody goes any further... oh darn, the police have arrived.

This show is okay for a time killer, but nothing profound or groundbreaking is happening.