It was especially poignant for me because the "sense of place" that was so resonant for the westerners in Brokeback was present for me with Shelter: it was shot in my hometown, San Pedro, California, the blue-collar harbor town that is the port of Los Angeles. I grew up with a lot of Zacks and Jeannes, and most of them are still there, living their lives in the shadow of the Vincent Thomas Bridge that is a central (and wee bit obvious) motif.
If there's a weakness, it's that Zack's dilemma seems like such a non-dilemma--move in with the handsome Prince Charming or stay on as permanent babysitter for young Zack will big Sis Jeanne plays away with a succession of losers? It's a legitimate criticism, but I would answer that it's difficult to overestimate the power of family obligation, and also, Sean's seeming perfection might raise suspicions that he's a little too good to be true. The character is supposed to be from the chi-chi Palos Verdes peninsula (though it looks like Malibu standing in for PV), bringing out Zack's working class defensiveness, which rings true enough to those of us who lived "down the hill."
Love the review, and, as a New Yorker, born and bred, I learned a lot from this. Thank you so much, I am now
really looking for the DVD a month away. (I am also steamed
, however, that the first release was shown in only one theater, and in so short a time, even in New York! I wonder if the film was run in a theater in San Pedro, and what the "Zacks and Jeannes" thought about it... More empowerment, I hope!)
Thanks again!