Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a film with a lot of heart. I saw it at its original screening in Provincetown, Mass. and bought a DVD there. I was in a room with hundreds of other gay men and women, many of whom had served in the military (including myself) and there was not a dry eye in the audience. I have watched it often, and it still has the same impact.
The heart of this film lies in its honest portrayal of gays and lesbians in the military, and how they are no different from anyone else when it comes to serving honorably and heroically. In war, there are only a few things that matter: Are you my brother? Will you fight for me? Will you die for me? The answer is always yes, no matter what, and this film speaks to how the young aviator's colleagues still accepted him after he was killed and they found out he was gay. Why? Because he gave his life for them, and they knew that this was more important than anything else.
The characters' journeys are clear and well told. Tyler is forced to reevaluate his own ideas of honor and duty when his lover dies, only just after telling people he can't reconcile fighting for freedom when he isn't free himself. That leads Tyler to his lover's father, Bill, in a mission to tell him who his son really was. Bill himself can't reconcile that his son could have been a hero and be gay at the same time. Bill is a man's man, but is fragile and frail in terms of his emotional strength. In the end, everyone becomes stronger: Kevin died with honor; Tyler, even though he has been discharged as well, has moral clarity; and Bill can go on with the peace of knowing his son was indeed a hero.
The performances are solid, maybe not Oscar-winning, but certainly better than a lot of gay movies I've seen. It is a short film, about a half hour or so, but that doesn't take away from its ability to convey its important message. As a gay veteran, I can say that this is a film that should be seen. And even though DADT was just repealed, it is important to reflect on our nation's very fresh history of discrimination.
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