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August (Eldar Rapaport)

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This movie is currently playing at film festivals.

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Synopsis

With the style of a European art filmmaker, director/co-writer Eldar Rapaport tells the story of a gay love triangle by using innovative edits, a beautiful (frequently naked) cast and an exploration of how we find our life’s love.

Review

Filmmaker Eldar Rapaport’s short films Steam (a highly controversial, surreal thriller which you can find on the compilation Fest Selects: Best Gay Shorts) and Postmortem were both film festival hits. His feature debut August is a truly creative approach to the classic love triangle.

At the start of the film, Jonathan (Daniel Dugan) and Raul (Adrian Gonzalez) form what appears to be a happy couple in L.A. However, Jonathan retains his own apartment and has an air of the unresolved adolescence about him. Raul, an Argentine immigrant in a green card marriage, is the more grounded of the pair and holds a job as a bartender as he awaits his final work papers. Troy, after spending a few years in Spain, forms the third corner of the triangle when he returns to the City of Angels. Troy is trouble: he’s the man who broke Jonathan’s heart and, we soon learn, is still in Jonathan’s blood.

Using time jumps, creative editing and a lack of black and white answers, the filmmaker represents the story as life itself really is: full of difficult decisions, broken hearts, memories that flash into our consciousness, and the knowledge that true love is out there somewhere.

-- Scott Cranin

Keywords

Drama, Gay Male, Gay/Lesbian, Love Triangle, Nudity, Romance, Sexuality: Gay Male

Genres

Drama, Romance

Customer Reviews

Sometimes a Re-Tread just doesn't take......

just a reviewer wrote on 02/28/2012:

2.5 STARS are awarded

(( BACKGROUND FOR VIEWERS: This Feature Length film is a reworking of Director Eldar Rapaport's 2005, well received Short, "Postmortem" ))

"August"....whatever is meant by that, you might ask? Well, rather than looking at the title as being merely a play on words, let's just assume what's meant is the "simmering"..."sweat-drenched"..."torridness"...of that particular time in the yearly weather cycle. In fact, this is what becomes visually and audibly obvious to us, as our actors/characters experience sometimes uncomfortably high temperatures---a condition reinforced by repeated soundtrack use of Los Angeles area weathercasts. So, indeed, this film does have "Heat"! But, it's not just that sort of "Hotness" which involves us....because "Lovemaking Action" makes up a significant part of what's being shown in this film.

Still and all, IF a film director is going to expand an earlier released 16 minute Short into a 100 minute, Feature Length work....and essentially retain the same storyline and same 2 lead characters (tho now 6 years older)....there has GOT to be more provided than "Heat"....more than "Hotness". Admittedly, a much lessor role in the short film's "triangle of 3 guys" has notably (and most SIZZLINGLY) been expanded in this 2011 production. For now we see the character of "Raul" being torridly played by relative newcomer, Adrian Gonzalez (giving us something not weather-related which IS HOT). Oh, and we also have added a female role in the form of B(Girl)FF (and Green Card facilitator) "Nina", played by Hillary Banks.

Now, allow this Reviewer to give just a few closing thoughts involving the "old and new" productions, as coming from someone who's lived with the former for years...and with the latter for a couple of viewings:

- In the Short's early scene...involving former lovers meeting up again at an outdoor coffee house...there was an intimacy, a "Heat" between the 2, which burned off the screen and into the viewer. That is pretty much missing in today's re-tread scene and, for me, is due to one actor in particular.

- Adding several extraneous scenery and street-related shots may add minutes to a feature's length....but it does not add interest.

- I was sometimes left wondering which way writing and direction were heading with the sex shots. There is an anal sex scene, with virtually a full length, nude shot of the 2 going at it. Yet, at another point we're given an after-sex scene---our leads still together in bed---BUT wearing underwear (even tho the camera is, obviously, avoiding any "crotch shots"). Are we advertising boxer briefs? Is this CBS or NBC network TV, or what? Does our director expect this is ever going to be shown as a K-Thru-12 afternoon school special?

- What I would consider a production glitch involves occasional sound problems, with music and background conversations drowning out conversation between lead characters (this is even with earphone listening). There is no captioning provided...at least in my Region 2 DVD release.

FINALLY -- Perhaps the best thing I can draw from this comparison of Short vs. Feature Length film, is that the feature definitely gives us a FINAL Ending...one which cannot be misconstrued or that is left up in the air. And even better than that....everyone gets what they deserve.

PS -- Writer/Director Rapaport strikes me as being particularly capable of developing intense and interesting storylines; he should stick to doing that...in all-new works. (I do acknowledge it is not easy for anyone to expand a short story into an acclaimed full-length novel...let alone achieve fully successful refilming.)