Customer Review(s)
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Hey Dude, it's SHELTER!
Comment: Lots of SPOILERS ahead!
Ok, I watched this last night & was ultimately glad that I ordered it as it's a Keeper. I was hesitant because I thought it might be another shot on video piece of crap.(WAY too many of those out there!)
This is close to being a perfect film...close but no surfboard.
I was appalled at some of the dialogue. Good God, I read ALL the reviews here, Wasn't ANYBODY a bit BOTHERED by all the DUDES,BROS,BUDS & COOLS? These are two bright, sensitive men(surfing involvement aside,) & frankly, most intelligent people just don't TALK that way. That's why our folks give us NAMES!! The KUNG FU exchange was just embarrassing! The younger brother(Gabe) was cartoonish...and I got real irritated with his 7th grade mentality sex talk & air humping!
And Why did Shaun(who we learn JUST got out of a bad relationship, think it was healthy to jump right back into another one?)And WHERE may I ask were the Laguna Beach Parents? Buried in the backyard? Certainly MIA.
But there were also hints of truth in this film. Better this than almost anything that's come out since BROKEBACK.
Finally(& forgive me for rambling,)I just LOVED the song LIE TO ME. Only....I thought it was a WOMAN singing it! I watched the Video on the extras & STILL couldn't believe that this was a GUY performing it. Kind of freaked me out! I think it should have been released as a Single...just BRILLIANT!
Thanks for hanging in there with me...now you know why I don't write reviews.
For an indie film shot in 21 days, it was pretty bitchin'!!!! I wish you ALL a Warm Shelter of your own.
Customer Rating: Summary: Why haven't you seen this movie yet?
Comment: I have been watching this movie incessantly for the last three weeks.
What I enjoy about this movie the most is the lack of big dramatic acting, which invariably is used in modern day cinema by actors cast to play in mildly-unrealistic to completely-incredible roles. Brad Rowe and Trevor Wright are great enough actors to make the story feel like watching a real life situation.
The bulk of the emotion in this movie is told in the actors' facial expressions. Scenes in this movie in which Zach is attempting to deal with the inner turmoil of his newly-revealed sexuality, would have been tainted and unbearable if they had been filled with exaggerated and unnecessary words. Instead you can see/feel the insult and hurt felt when Trevor Wright's he frowns, nose crunched, and in his eyes you can believe the character is thinking something along the lines of "Please God, just give me a hole to crawl into."
In addition because there is so much unspoken passion in this movie it makes it all the more compelling when Zach raises his voice, which happens all of three times. The first time, his sister confronts him about his relationship with Shaun and the potential detriment to her son. Zach's immediate response is defiant, a statement that he is standing up to his sister for the first time. It is an indication that the character is beginning to grow out of submission.
The second time, Gabe confronts him about his relationship with Shaun. Blindsighted and unprepared to deal with this reality, Zach raises his voice to his best friend in defense. You can see that Gabe doesn't exactly know how to comfort his friend either and immediately backs down, without letting him know that he does not wish to lose their friendship over this.
The third time, in the final scene, Jeanne's boyfriend demeans Zach's would-be-son. At this point the audience is clear on the fact that while most of the character's growth has involved his sexuality, most of the character's LIFE has revolved around his nephew. To hear this abrasive, offensive NOTHING attack Cody like this is too much after everything that Zach has been through, and Zach lashes out with a passion that actually brought a tear to my eye. We should all have someone who cares about us so.
The worst example of acting in this movie comes from the character of Billy, who has all of three lines in the darkness by a fire, and is merely there to establish the aspect that Zach's friends' lives continue to move on while his own remains fairly static.
Not a single word, facial expression, or stance is wasted in this movie. And if you're a straight guy who is afraid of GLBT-themed movies out of discomfort at seeing full frontal male nudity, have no fear. 'Shelter' is tasteful, heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and I haven't seen another movie quite like it.
