The title of the films refers to the lush green and suburban life in Connecticut, a far cry form chaotic NYC life from which our protagonists move. I was very glad to see that this film was not one of those gay films which seems to tackle all stereotyped gay issues. It was different. Though the entire subject might not be completely new for the film-goers but come to think of it, it is difficult for a teacher (specially is he is gay) on defining the boundaries of how much he can show interest in his student's well being without being judged the wrong way.
Michael and Daniel are a gay couple who have been together for 15 years and have now moved to Connecticut. Michael works as a teacher in a private high school and daniel continues with his restaurant/cafe business in the small town. Michael makes very good friends with Trish, a fellow teacher, who herself is battling with cancer. Michael sees great potential in one of his students Jason, whose parents were alcoholics and do not have much money from him. Michael seems behavioral changes in Jason which worries him and he takes more interest in him. Trish warns Michael about the gossip in school about them but he does not care. One day Michael attempts to defend Jason from bullying kids and in turn he gets accused of inappropriate behavior with Jason by his father. Once this happens, Jason's parents take the mater to court, Jason runs away from home and Michael is suspended from school. When it starts affecting Gavin's business too, they hire a special lawyer Karen who happens to be in a committed lesbian relationship. During the investigation, an old truth comes out: Michael had a prior arrest in NYC years ago for indecent exposure (police entrapment), but worse is the fact that Michael has never told Daniel about the incident. This brings the rift in the couple and it forces Dan to leave the house because he can handle everything except dishonesty. Michael is now suffering alone. FInally Jason comes back home and a bitter truth is exposed where Jason's father was the culprit behind everything. The film ends with hope that things will someday be better again between Daniel and Michael now that Michael is free from all the charges.
The acting from all principal characters was very good. Initially I thought Trish was a little funny looking but she did a splendid job too. The scene where Michael and Trish have a fallout is brilliant. It is interesting to see how things said in a most genuine and innocent manner can be taken in a wrong way. Daniel, as per me, was gorgeous. He would just keep looking int his eyes but even in the acting department, he did a good job. I wanna see more of him in more films. The subject was handled with sensitivity. I would have given this film a little lower ranking but I liked the ending when not everything is back to normal. There is hope that things will be better and that is what happens in real life as well. Doesn't it?
This is a decent independent film. Nothing extraordinary but good that it holds your attention throughout. (7/10)
The title of the films refers to the lush green and suburban life in Connecticut, a far cry form chaotic NYC life from which our protagonists move. I was very glad to see that this film was not one of those gay films which seems to tackle all stereotyped gay issues. It was different. Though the entire subject might not be completely new for the film-goers but come to think of it, it is difficult for a teacher (specially is he is gay) on defining the boundaries of how much he can show interest in his student's well being without being judged the wrong way.
Michael and Daniel are a gay couple who have been together for 15 years and have now moved to Connecticut. Michael works as a teacher in a private high school and daniel continues with his restaurant/cafe business in the small town. Michael makes very good friends with Trish, a fellow teacher, who herself is battling with cancer. Michael sees great potential in one of his students Jason, whose parents were alcoholics and do not have much money from him. Michael seems behavioral changes in Jason which worries him and he takes more interest in him. Trish warns Michael about the gossip in school about them but he does not care. One day Michael attempts to defend Jason from bullying kids and in turn he gets accused of inappropriate behavior with Jason by his father. Once this happens, Jason's parents take the mater to court, Jason runs away from home and Michael is suspended from school. When it starts affecting Gavin's business too, they hire a special lawyer Karen who happens to be in a committed lesbian relationship. During the investigation, an old truth comes out: Michael had a prior arrest in NYC years ago for indecent exposure (police entrapment), but worse is the fact that Michael has never told Daniel about the incident. This brings the rift in the couple and it forces Dan to leave the house because he can handle everything except dishonesty. Michael is now suffering alone. FInally Jason comes back home and a bitter truth is exposed where Jason's father was the culprit behind everything. The film ends with hope that things will someday be better again between Daniel and Michael now that Michael is free from all the charges.
The acting from all principal characters was very good. Initially I thought Trish was a little funny looking but she did a splendid job too. The scene where Michael and Trish have a fallout is brilliant. It is interesting to see how things said in a most genuine and innocent manner can be taken in a wrong way. Daniel, as per me, was gorgeous. He would just keep looking int his eyes but even in the acting department, he did a good job. I wanna see more of him in more films. The subject was handled with sensitivity. I would have given this film a little lower ranking but I liked the ending when not everything is back to normal. There is hope that things will be better and that is what happens in real life as well. Doesn't it?
This is a decent independent film. Nothing extraordinary but good that it holds your attention throughout. (7/10)
Comments
One special thing about that particular character in this film--he NEVER lost his high generous benevolent position, did not do anything to attempt to hurt his accuser and the accuser's mother even if it seemed that besmirching their characters would help his legal defense (in other words, he 100% took the high road). Oh, and also, I felt that he never needed to tell his lover about the former case...I'd estimate that in about 90% of those cases those people simply give in to a plea bargain and agree to a lesser charge when in truth they are 100% innocent, so he truly had nothing to "confess" to.
I got to see this film last summer at Outfest. My absolute favorite thing about the film was the music that played at the very end, when the main character (the falsely accused) walked away from his lover (the one who ultimately failed to stand by him), maybe only temporarily, but also maybe permanently. This thematic music was overwhelmingly loving, beautiful, and heroically powerful.
Someone during the Q&A asked the director why there hadn't been "closure" in the film--that wasn't the word he used, what he asked was "Why weren't there apologies from those who hurt him, mainly the mother?", but that's what he meant. I couldn't believe anyone in the audience would ask such a question, but then, most (American) film viewers are all-but-insensitive to the hundreds of artistic cues that assist in the telling of a story, but need, instead, everything 100% spelled out. I would have responded to that question, myself, except that had been the final question of the QA&. So I made a bee-line down to the front of the theater so that I could make my comment directly to the director, saying, "What that man asked about had been THOROUGHLY provided by that incredibly wonderful music at the end, it said it ALL, completely illuminating the meaning of that character, who he was and who he had become!" The director was quite pleased by this, responding that he had put that particular music in there for that very purpose, and that it had communicated more than a hundred words of dialogue ever could have. I said that I hoped his movie would come out on DVD soon, because I wanted to own a copy of it, and to have that marvelous music. He said that I could get the music right now, because standing there next to us listening to us with rapt attention was the music composer's WIFE, whom, I believe, had worked as the casting director for the film. For her part, she was impressed that somebody would come right down from the audience for the express purpose of praising the music and she was going to be sure to let her husband know that his music had generated such a response. She wrote down the name of the album ("Television Landscape") and the name of her husband ("William Brittelle"); the song, itself, is the last one on the album, called "The Color of Rain." When I got home that evening, I downloaded the whole album from iTunes (and then later also ordered the CD from Amazon.com) and thought to myself, "Wow, isn't living in LA in this modern era wonderful? I can watch a movie in the afternoon, talk to its director, and have its music in my hands that very evening!"
While I was down there on the Director Guild's stage, I took the opportunity to praise the actress who played the friend, who had been very good in the movie, but in person, not so much. She was one of those actresses (or other show biz professionals) who act like "Who are you, a nobody, to praise MY work?" So, she scored a zero out of me and her name will not draw me into any other films of hers in the future, if she ever has any. But William Brittelle, he has (at least) gotten a review here on your movie site. While "The Color of Rain" was immediately beautiful, some of this other compositions take some getting used to and maybe, at first, sound downright ugly, and yet he clearly is a musical genius with immense talent and almost all of the songs on that album pretty quickly grew on me once I got used to his style. Some other particular favorites of mine, now, on that album are "Sheena Easton", "Halcyon Days," and "Rio Rio", and "The Color of Rain" hasn't lost one bit of its original punch.
I still would like to own "The Green". Maybe it is out on DVD now.
I should focus more on listening to the music piece again.