I'm so sorry I missed this movie--and I'm so glad I found this thread here. Thanks to you all, I've now pre-ordered the DVD from Amazon (May 28). In the meanwhile, here are a couple of reviews that might be interesting.
(Thank you again for the tip!)
From
The New York Times:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/movies/28shel.html Movie Review
Shelter (2007) Brad Rowe, left, and Trevor Wright in "Shelter," directed by Jonah Markowitz
March 28, 2008
Out on the Waves By JEANNETTE CATSOULISPublished: March 28, 2008
A confused young artist is torn between his family and his future in “Shelter,” a sensitive romantic drama from the writer and director Jonah Markowitz.
Set in the working-class San Pedro area of Los Angeles, the movie centers on Zach (Trevor Wright), a short-order cook. Between shifts Zach pursues a desultory relationship with his girlfriend, Tori (Katie Walder), and acts as surrogate father to his 5-year-old nephew, Cody (Jackson Wurth). His real passion, however, is painting, expressed in the stenciled graffiti he sprays on neighborhood buildings and in the art-school dreams that his selfish sister (Tina Holmes) is determined to sabotage.
Everything changes when Zach finds himself drawn to Shaun (Brad Rowe), a confident writer and eager enabler of all of Zach’s passions. As the two hit the surf and Shaun’s mattress with equal enthusiasm, the movie’s abundance of tanned bodies, rolling waves and golden sunsets create an aesthetic of inoffensive hedonism that perfectly matches the subject matter.
The first project produced by the film division of the here! cable television network, “Shelter” is finally less about erotic soul-searching than about defining one’s boundaries. And if at times the symbolism is a bit heavy-handed — and the ending is easily foreseen — strong performances and Joseph White’s burnished cinematography do much to atone. Coming out has rarely looked so pretty.
“Shelter” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Characters indulge in tasteful sex and a taste of drugs.
SHELTER Opens on Friday in Manhattan.
Written and directed by Jonah Markowitz; director of photography, Joseph White; edited by Michael Hofacre; music by J. Peter Robinson; production designer, Denise Hudson; produced by Paul Colichman, Stephen P. Jarchow and J. D. Disalvatore; released by here! Networks, here! Films and Regent Releasing. At the Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, at Laight Street. Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: Trevor Wright (Zach), Brad Rowe (Shaun), Tina Holmes (Jeanne), Jackson Wurth (Cody), Ross Thomas (Gabe) and Katie Walder (Tori).
From
The San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/27/DDC3VPKBN.DTL&type=moviesSurf buddies find their bliss in 'Shelter'David Wiegand, Chronicle Staff WriterFriday, March 28, 2008
Shelter: Romantic drama. Written and directed by Jonah Markowitz. Starring Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe. 97 minutes. (Rated R. At the Embarcadero and the Elmwood in Berkeley.)
Sometimes a film that otherwise relies on stock storylines and even skirts the fringes of old-fashioned melodrama can rise up on the strength of other elements. In the case of writer/director Jonah Markowitz's feature film debut, "Shelter" rises very high indeed, thanks to a superb performance by Trevor Wright in the lead role, a strong supporting cast, very good cinematography and, most of all, emotional authenticity.
First seen in the Bay Area at last year's Frameline festival, "Shelter" is a film about a young man named Zach who works as a short-order cook and has turned down a full scholarship from Cal Arts in order to take care of his family, which includes his frail father, who was disabled in a work accident, his loser sister Jeanne (Tina Holmes) and her young son, Cody (Jackson Wurth).
When Zach isn't slinging hash, or either breaking up or making up with his longtime girlfriend Tori (Katie Walder), he's off surfing with his best friend Gabe (Ross Thomas). Of course, the question that goes unasked but becomes nonetheless unavoidable in our understanding of Zach is whether he's really burdened by all of this responsibility, or whether he's hiding behind it. Zach doesn't begin considering that possibility until Gabe's older brother Shaun (Brad Rowe) shows up in San Pedro while waiting to move into a new place back in Los Angeles.
Soon enough, Zach is hanging out with Shaun a lot. They go surfing, they talk and one night, they drink a lot and there's a good-natured and, for the audience, wince-inducing wrestling match. Zach's first kiss from a guy leaves him confused. How many gay first encounters in film or fiction have involved alcohol and good-natured wrestling? Too many to count, and no doubt they've happened in real life, but that just means a director had better have a very sure hand if he wants to make them believable on film. Markowitz almost succeeds, but that's largely because he keeps the scene short.
Other elements of the story border on predictable, including the loser-boozer sister with serial one-night stands who, naturally, isn't happy that her possibly gay brother is tending to her young son. But as in so many other instances in the film, the cast's performances keep things credible. Holmes strikes all the right notes in showing a young woman who, in her way, is just as desperate to find herself as her brother is. And without hitting us over the head with it, Markowitz leads us to consider the essential difference that self-respect can make in finding oneself. Nicely nuanced and credible performances are also delivered by Rowe, who is smart enough to allow Zach room to screw up, Thomas as the best friend who finds he has a lot to come to grips with in the person of someone he thought he's known forever, and Walder as the girlfriend who perhaps understands Zach better and earlier than he does himself.
There aren't any great truths here. This is a film about love, and learning to be true to yourself and those willing to ride the wave with you. Markowitz's script is adequate on the surface, but better than that when we see how he allows his characters to embody his themes and trusts his audience enough to avoid telegraphing meaning at every turn. He often has a good ear for the way people speak in real life, although, occasionally, he falls into a "Stella Dallas" mode.
Wright's performance is the beating heart of the film from the start. It's a tricky role to play, because it calls on the young actor to withhold so much about his inner life yet, at the same time, give us enough information to see things that he is unwilling to look at. In this case, less becomes more and then some through a restrained and delicately balanced performance. It's Wright's careful minimalism that draws us along in the film and has us rooting for Zach all the way.
-- Advisory: Sexual content, brief drug use, occasional strong language.E-mail David Wiegand at
[email protected].
From
www.einsiders.com :
Shelter (2008) Director: Jonah Markowitz,
Starring: Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, and Tina Holmes
Length: 97 minutes
Rated: R Catching That Perfect Dreamby Jonathan W. Hickman reviewed: 2008-03-28
Zach is an artistic surfer who has put his dreams of art school on hold to help his sister raise her son. But when he finds love, he has to choose a new road for himself. Sometimes you have to make your own way.
“Shelter” is a love story, with coming of age elements. The fact that it is also a gay love story is only part of what makes the film interesting. Instead of reinforcing gay stereotypes, writer/director Jonah Markowitz tells his story straight dealing with Zach’s sexual identity issues realistically and honestly.
Fine performances from Trevor Wright and Brad Rowe, who play forbidden lovers Zach and Shaun, greatly help this largely conventional tale of boy meets boy (told bluntly). Their chemistry is believable and the romance credible. And “Six Feet Under” alum Tina Holmes, who plays Zach’s single mom/sister named Jeanne, makes her character seem real as well, especially as Jeanne questions whether Zach is involved with Shaun.
The surfing photography is excellent. Apparently, several of the stars really surfed as part of their performances which certainly adds to the authentic characterizations. As a non-surfer, I’m always amazed by shots of folks hanging ten.
I suppose it’s ironic that “Shelter” comes out the same weekend as the big budget, flashy, flick “21” hits theaters. Both films deal with smart young people struggling with the pressure of paying for college and making the right career choices. And while I understand that it is hard to get into college these days, there are always legitimate ways to get an education no matter how dire the situation might appear.
I guess I’m just a little too concrete in my thinking, but if you want to be an artist, or as in the case of the film “21,” a doctor, find a school that you can afford, and one that will accept you, and go there. It matter not how much you must beg or borrow, if you’re passionate about it, make it happen. The people who love and care for you in your life will understand, because they love you. If you don’t pursue your dreams, you may never find out who you really are.
Jonathan W. Hickman