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Brent Fellows, Giovanni Andrade, Drew Zeller, Ellie Nicholson, Nolan Chard ... see more see more... , Pam Munter , Ron Upton

James Bolton directs this spare, sensitive depiction of an uncomfortable subject -- man-boy love. Gawky and awkward late twenty-something Eban (Brent Fellows) returns suddenly to his Washington state ... read more read more...hometown after a stint as a Seattle soccer coach. He is vague about his reasons for leaving while his parents seem to have adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" policy towards their son. While slacking about town, he happens upon lanky, teenaged skatepunk Charley (Giovanni Andrade) and aggressively pursues a friendship with the lad, under the ruse of swapping guitar and sign language lessons. Forced to live with his ill-tempered, long-divorced father, Charley reveals himself to be a quick learner both at signing and at hand gestures of a different sort, yet he fails to grasp the consequences of his sticky encounters with a man almost twice his age. Later, as the fathers of both parties learn of their sons' entanglement, they also learn that Eban was forced to flee Seattle under threat of prosecution after having an affair with one of his charges. This film was screened at the 2000 San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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37% liked it

493 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

9 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: James Bolton

Release Date: December 14, 2001

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DVD Release Date: July 9, 2002

Stats: 33 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (33)

  • dutchboydvh
    August 9, 2006
    dutchboydvh
    This is an unapologetic look at a relationship between a boy and an older man. It pulls no punches and shows how such a relationship can affect the lives of those involved. It ends on a hopeful note and one wants the best for the lead characters, but in reality a positive outcom... read moree is not likely.

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Critic Reviews

Ed Park
January 11, 2002
Ed Park, Village Voice

Preachy and humorless, Eban and Charley shocks only by the quality of its numbing solipsism. Full Review

John Anderson
January 11, 2002
John Anderson, Newsday

There's not enough judgment being rendered by the filmmaker, who seems happy enough to portray his movie's relationship sympathetically because, after all, these things happen. Full Review

Elvis Mitchell
January 11, 2002
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

Might best be described as preaching to a sparse congregation, or else Mr. Bolton is simply out to bore people into submission. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
January 11, 2002
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Bolton could easily have exploited the film's unsettling issues, but he takes a nonsensationalized approach that leaves viewers to decide the moral questions for themselves.

Kevin Thomas
January 11, 2002
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Few people will be able to go along with Bolton's point of view regarding relationships between adults and underage youths, but there's no denying the writer-director, in his feature debut, has avoide... Full Review

Kim Morgan
February 15, 2002
Kim Morgan, Oregonian

May be the most boring film about forbidden love ever made. Full Review

David Noh
January 11, 2002
David Noh, Film Journal International

Andrade has a tremulous, faun-like quality which rings true, and Fellows succeeds in making you eventually sympathize with Eban's tortured soul. Full Review

Maitland McDonagh
January 11, 2002
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide

[Bolton] undermines his own carefully balanced presentation of the situation by making 29-year-old Eban (Brent Fellows) so creepy. Full Review

David Ehrenstein
January 11, 2002
David Ehrenstein, New Times

Few things are quite as frustrating as a film that chooses a highly controversial subject then proceeds to give it the kid-glove treatment.

Dennis Harvey
June 6, 2008
Dennis Harvey, Variety

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