madcardinal
A very good movie. First of all, it avoids the ludicrous pitfall of thirty-somethings or twenty-somethings trying to play teenagers a la Olivia Newton John and John Travolta in "Grease". That kind of inauthentic casting has ruined the verisimilitude and integrity of far too many movies about young people. Roger Ebert once said only half jokingly that there should be a law that actors playing young adults or children must be the age of their characters; and judging from some of the untenable performances turned in by older actors in movies of this genre, I'm inclined to agree with him. All the actors playing teenagers in this movie are believable as teenagers, and this authenticity is a decided asset. I found this movie poignant, touching and aptly awkward in places. It reminded me of high school life. The director and actors achieve just the right mix of erotic longing, real-world constraints, uncertainty and the tension of trying to build a self in a complicated world. Not quite as superb as its close cousin, "Beautiful Thing," but very good nonetheless. Highly recommended to anyone fair-minded enough to appreciate a movie featuring gay characters.
Arcadio Bolanos
"Be realistic, demand the impossible". Why not? Sometimes being realistic means, indeed, to have no creative freedom and above all no real desire to escape ideological imprisonment.When Steven, a 16 year old student, starts frequenting public toilets hoping to hook up and have random sex with unknown men, he looks aloof and somehow emotionally unattached. His only confident is Linda, a girl somewhat ostracized because of her weight, and they come to a conclusion: no matter how hard they've tried, love has not been a part of their lives.One day, in one of those public toilets the British seem so keen on visiting, he runs into John, another student from his high school. Except that John is not just another student, he happens to be the Golden Boy, not only is he the best athlete and the most handsome boy, he is also rich and very popular. Of course, John neutralizes possible misunderstandings by explaining that he just happened to be there. When Steven, disappointed and embarrassed, decides to depart, John asks him if his parents are home.In Steven's home, the game commences, or rather, what was already there comes to the surface. When John makes fun of a teddy bear in Steven's room, that soon leads into physical contact as Steven tries to retrieve the object from John's hands. Then, after being on top of each other, breathing hard and unmistakably excited, John proceeds to unbutton Steve's trousers and when they're about to kiss things get interrupted.The interruption is a symptom of society's intervention, which in this case does not take the form of an angry mob but rather the moral constraints that are deeply rooted in John's mind. If the gaze of the other defines us completely, then what must we do to be successfully inserted in society? For traditional psychoanalysis homosexuality has been a perversion, a mental illness, a condition that could be remedied, but it has also been the abject, id est, the vilest, the very lowest of the human condition. I would like to believe that much time has passed since then, but it's undeniable that some people, perhaps more than I would care to admit, continue to think as if they had been raised in the Victorian age.On the contrary, Steven has come to terms with his sexuality since he was 11. He has no doubts, no regrets. He feels only angry at the prejudiced people surrounding him at home, at school and everywhere in between. As his relationship with John progresses, they thrive to keep the secrecy, but the clandestine rendezvous and the constant hiding takes a toll on Steven. As John explains to him, they can do anything they want as long as no one else knows about it.Although at first this is hardly a limitation, soon the nature of the relationship will demand openness. Steven wants John to feel proud of them, of their relationship, he demands John to acknowledge him in school, not only outside. How long can they go keeping the secret? And is it really impossible to declare their love to everyone else? Be realistic, sometimes the impossible simply cannot be demanded for the very reason that it shouldn't have been deemed impossible in the first place.As the impossibility of accepting homosexuality is firmly placed in John's head, things will not be easy. But when other school kids start making enquiries and deductions, the entire relationship could come apart. Does this couple have what it takes to surmount seemingly unconquerable obstacles or was this a doomed affair from the very beginning?
sirchadwick46
I cannot say enough about the power of this movie. With my own struggle with my sexuality, as well as the hiding that so many like me are forced into, this movie brought me to tears. There are so many things I wish could be different, both in my life and in how the movie played out, but both are surprisingly pleasant even as they are. I cannot say that this is the greatest piece of cinema ever created, from dialog to production values, many parts of the movie are askew (not to mention the often indecipherable British mumbling!), but it has given me hope that as a gay teenager I will someday find the type of love I am looking for.
