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Rock Haven
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Religion, sexuality and romance
collide as a deeply spiritual, young man experiences his
first love. |
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Rock Haven must be the first ever Gay Christian
coming of age movie. Brady, played by Sean Hoagland,
finds that he does not have to abandon his spirituality to
fall in love. |
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When Brady's mother, played by Laura Jane Coles,
moves him to the coastal town of Rock Haven he is set up for
the conflict of his life. While mom is busy opening a
Christian school nearby, Brady is left to walk the beach,
watch the waves, read from his ever present Bible and find
friends on his own. |
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There is an instantly recognizable chemistry between
sexy next door neighbor Clifford, played by Owen Alabado,
and Brady. From the church pastor, to a girl Brady's mom
sets him up with, everyone sees what's happening and in one
way or another encourages him. According to his pastor, God
does not ask you to make choices about who you are.
Apparently, at least in Brady's case, that's for mothers to
do. |
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Clifford's mother, played by Katheryn Hecht would
light candles, incense and leave condoms on the pillow case.
If not for their mothers being the antitheses of one
another, the film would be far less real and more fairy tale
like. Unfortunately Brady's
mom is not only very unforgiving, but a literal Christian
cliché. We were also treated to several scenes where Brady
tries to scrub away his sins in a hot and very steamy
shower. In the final shower scene, where he has his last
alone and
conflicted moment about being Gay, Brady trembles naked and hunched
down on the floor outside of the steaming shower. He
apparently can't get in the shower to wash away his sins.
Again, maybe a little too cliché and overt. |
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That said, the film is inspiring in both the beauty of the
rugged coastal location it was set in and the development of
Brady and Clifford's relationship. As Clifford falls in
love, he sees the magnificence of their relationship, has a
spiritual awakening and confides that it could only be a gift from God. In
another
breathtaking scene the two boys walk hand in hand down a
narrow and solitary road through a field and a breeze gently blows
through the tall grass. It was remarkably simple and
beautiful. The real beauty of Rock Haven lies not in the
dialogue, but in the quiet moments where Brady is with
Clifford and searching for his soul. |
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Do the two boys finally get it on? You'll have to see
the movie to find that out!
All in all it's a solid Gay flick and
definitely worth seeing. The boys are easy on the eyes. The
scenery and cinematography are spectacular. And it's
comforting, at least for an hour and a half, to feel that
Christianity and homosexuality can coexist in the love of
two young men. Bravo and four stars out of five. |
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